Colocasia 'Violet Stem'

We're always a bit ambivalent about how to grow colocasias, aka Elephant Ears, aka Taro, so you'll usually find them in our houseplant section on the edge of outdoor shade plants. While they can handle the sun, their heart-shaped leaves may scorch in the late afternoon sun, especially if not watered regularly. Indoors, they need a very well-lit room or grow lights to achieve their potential size. For 'Violet Stem' taro, that could be four to six feet tall and up to four feet wide; however, they're not the fastest growing and thus do well in container planters. That also makes it easier to move this eye-catching specimen back and forth between the outdoor summer garden and indoors for the winter.
Technically hardy to 0 degrees, we wouldn't guarantee that Elephant Ears will survive our Pacific NW winters in the ground. That said, 'Violet Stem' would undoubtedly be a spectacular specimen for tropical-themed gardens with its purple-veined leaves reaching up to three feet in length atop dark purple stems. Given well-draining soil and a somewhat sheltered area in the winter, 'Violet Stem' may reappear in the spring.  
 

Common Name: Elephant Ear, Taro

Mature Size: 4 - 6 feet tall, 2 - 4 feet wide

Growth Rate: Moderate

Optimum Temperature:

• 65° F
• 70° F
• 75° F
• 80° F

Characteristics: Deciduous perennial outdoors, evergreen indoors. Not pet-friendly.

Light: Well-lit room, no direct sun. May be grown outdoors in the summer shade garden.

Water Requirements: Water thoroughly when surface soil is dry

Foliage Color: Green

Bloom Color: Creamy white

Bloom Time: Rarely blooms indoors

Structure: Upright clump

Photos: Real images, not stock photos

Please Note: When Ground Shipping is selected, plants will be shipped on the following Monday to help maintain the plant quality.