Colocasia esculenta

Common Name: wild taro

Family: Araceae

Common Synonyms: none

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8a-11

Growth Habit: Perennial herb

Origin: Central and South America

FISC Category: 1

FDACS Listed Noxious Weed: No

Introduction Date: In the southeastern United States, it was introduced in 1910 by the Department of Agriculture as a substitute crop for potatoes.

IFAS Assessment:

• North: INVASIVE
• Central: INVASIVE
• South: INVASIVE

Description

Herbacous perennial with arrow-shaped leaves up to 1.2 m in length. Flowers infrequently, but consists of spade and spadix.

Habitat

Wet to dry sites, but mostly in floodplain swamps, stream banks, and wet disturbed areas.

Comments

Introduced for its edible tubers. Wild taro resembles the invasive elephant's ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), which has sagittate leaves.

Control Methods

• Manual: Mechanical: manually dig out corms
• Chemical: Foliar (1.0% aquatic glyphosate + 0.5% aquatic triclopyr amine + 0.5% aquatic 2,4-D, or, 0.5% aquatic imazapyr), add silicone surfactant so herbicide mix adheres to waxy leaves. [IFAS]
• Biological: NA

Control Notes

Limit planting and remove existing plants. Corms can spread via water. Use only aquatic labeled herbicides.

References

Greenwell AB, 1947. Taro - with special reference to its culture and uses in Hawaii. Economic Botany, 1:276-89.

Langeland, K.A., H.M. Cherry, C.M. McCormick, K.C. Burks. 2008. Identification and Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas-Second Edition. IFAS Publication SP 257. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

IFAS, UF, Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas. 2017. Colocasia esculenta. https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/colocasia-esculenta/Accessed September 18, 2017.

IFAS, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. 2017. Colocasia esculenta. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/colocasia-esculenta/Accessed September 18, 2017.