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| ## taro {#taro .Title-Header}                                         |
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| *Colocasia esculenta* (L.) Schott                                     |
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| Plant Symbol = COES                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center and Pacific Islands
West Area Office

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.0in" height="4.0in"}Forest & Kim Starr
(USGS)

@ Plants of Hawaii (HEAR)

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

Coco yam, dasheen, elephant's ear, gabi, binata, callaloo, eddo, eddy
root, swamp taro

Chamorro: suni,

Chuukese: woot,

Hawaiian: kalo,

Marshallese: jibabwãi,

Palauan: bisupsal,

Pohnpeian: sawa

Samoan: talo,

Ulithian: ioth

Yapese: mal

**Caution**: If taro is not prepared and cooked well, the acridity will
cause itchiness in the mouth and throat.

All parts of taro can cause stomach aches, if ingested without cooking.
Contact with the sap can irritate sensitive skin.

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

[Please consult the links on the PLANTS Plant Profile for this species
for extensive information not contained within this plant
guide]{.underline}.

*Ethnobotanical***:** Taro was the most important food throughout the
Hawaiian Islands. The mature root is boiled as a starchy vegetable. It
was the staple of the Hawaiian diet and the plant used to make poi.

The leaves are high in minerals and vitamins A, B, and C. These large
leaves are cooked like mustard or turnip greens and the resulting
product is called callaloo in the Caribbean.

The young leaves are cooked and used for human consumption as a very
nutritious vegetable and the corms are used as staple in place of rice
or potato (Plucknett and White 1979). These young leaves are boiled or
covered with coconut cream, wrapped in banana or breadfruit leaves and
cooked on hot stones (Kubo 1970).

The corms are generally cooked by baking, boiling or baking in the
traditional ovens.

The starch contained in the large corms of taro is highly digestible,
therefore making it a good source for carbohydrate and to a lesser
degree a source of potassium and protein.

Taro corms have been used in the production of taro chips, dehydrated
stable commodities, starch, flour, and in non-food application of taro
starch in the manufacture of biodegradable plastics.

Taro is good for people allergic to milk or cereals and can be consumed
by children who are sensitive to milk (Roth and et.al., 1967).

The digestibility of taro starch has been estimated to be 98.8 percent.
Therefore taro flour and other products have been used for infant
formulae in the United States and have formed an important constituent
of proprietary canned baby foods.

Medicinal: The Pinatubo Negritos of the Philippines used taro as
medicine. The leaves and corms were boiled and eaten by women
experiencing a difficult childbirth. Many tribes believed the early
morning dew that collected in the leaf was excellent medicinal eyewash.
Women with dysmenorrheal were made to sit on taro leaves. Juice of the
petioles is styptic and was used to arrest arterial hemorrhage. Taro was
used in earache and as an external stimulant and rubefacient. Taro was
used as a laxative in cases of hemorrhoids. Some tribes use taro as an
antidote to the stings of wasps and other biting or stinging insects.
Heated tubers were applied to painful parts in rheumatism. Honey mixed
with tuber ash was used as a cure for apthae in the mouth.

In Hawaii, the raw juice mixed with sugar was taken orally to reduce
fever. Taro was used by Hawaiians to treat illness ranging from
constipation to tuberculosis.

In Malaysia, warmed leaves were used to compress a child\'s head to size
if too long.

*Horticultural/Landscape:* Taro may be incorporated into the general
landscape or planted in the traditional style in wet and dry paddies.
Taro can be planted in dry culture or non-flooded fields, but not all
taros genetic lines can be planted in wet culture or flooded fields.

*Livestock*: Taro leaf blades and petioles have been used in animal
feed.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

#####  {#section .Header-3}

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

Arum Family (Araceae). Taro is an ancient crop grown throughout the
tropic and subtropics. Taro is believed to have originated in South East
Asia including India and Malaysia. Spencer (1966) stated that taro and
other edible arioida were distributed from east India to Formosa and the
Solomon Islands. Taro seeds were dispersed by birds, and palm civets
.(Panoff, 1972, Hambali, 1979).

Taro, sometimes called the \"potato of the tropics,\" or \"elephant
ears\" is a wetland herbaceous perennial with huge "elephant ear" like
leaves. It produces heart shaped leaves 2-3\' long and 1-2\' across on
3\' long petioles that all emanate from an upright tuberous rootstock,
called a corm. The petioles are thick, succulent, and often purplish.
The leaf petiole attaches near the center of the leaf. The corm is
shaped like a top with rough ridges, lumps and spindly roots, and
usually weighs around 1-2 pounds, but can weigh eight pounds. The skin
is brown with white or pink flesh. Taros can produce smaller tubers or
\"cormels\" which grow off the sides of the main corm. Under ideal
growing conditions, a single taro plant can get 8\' tall with an
8'canopy spread.

There are more than 200 cultivars of taro, selected for their edible
corms or cormels, or their tropical looking ornamental foliage. These
cultivars fall into two main groups: wetland taros, the source of the
Polynesian food *poi*, which is made from the main corm; and upland
taros, which produce numerous eddos that are used much like potatoes for
cooking and in processing.

Taro, although grown commercially in many areas of the Pacific Basin,
for the most part, is a backyard crop planted usually in small plots
near the house. Because taro has a high water requirement and a long
growing season it can only grow where water is available most of the
year. Its ability to grow in waterlogged conditions allows for the
utilization of hydromorphic soils which are unsuitable for other crops
(Onwueme, I.C. 1985)

Taro and other aroid food crops have traditionally been a source of food
energy for Pacific Islanders. Taro is a plant that must be tilled and
watered if it is to grow and perform. The roots and suckers of many
varieties of taro were carried along the trade routes of the world. The
taro plant has a triple value in that the stem may be used as salads,
the tubers provide easily digested starch, with the leaves are used as a
green vegetable. The leaves are also used as wrapping for food, as
plates, and as an umbrella in a rainstorm. *Cyrtosperma* (giant taro)
provides for a reserve food crop, which grows well in low-lying areas
and saline swamps.

*Distribution*: For current U.S. distribution, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

*Adaptation;* Taro can grow in a wide range of soil from upland or dry
land soils that are well drained, non-flooded soils to soils that are in
high rainfall areas or saturated for prolonged periods of time. Taro can
grow in areas that only it and rice can grow because of standing water
during the growing season. The upland taro is usually grown on hillsides
in soil that is marginal in fertility and productivity. Soils in these
areas are usually well drained and friable. While lowland or wetland
taro is usually planted in low-lying areas where there is an abundant
supply of water. The soils in these areas are normally alluvial and of
high native fertility and production.

Taro can grow in areas ranging from sea level to 1,800 m in elevation
under daily average temperature of 21-27°C and rainfall of 250 cm
annually. Taro is usually planted at wide spacing of 1m x 1m at a
density of 10,000 plants/ha in dry areas and at spacing as close as 45cm
x 45cm or approximately 49,000 plants/ha in wetland areas.

## Planting material 

Taro is usually the first crop planted after the clearance of a forest
fallow because the soil if very fertile. However after repeated use the
soil becomes less productive and will require organic or inorganic
fertilizer to maintain high yields. If commercial fertilizer is used be
sure not to place the fertilizer in the bottom of the hole with the
sucker because the fertilizer will destroy the young sucker.

In the South Pacific, "tiapuli" or setts are prepared from the suckers
or main plant. The tiapuli consist of the cormels with the petioles and
are the main material used of propagating taro. Small tiapuli used for
planting can have a considerable effect on yield if weeding is delayed
during early establishment. Large size planting material grows more
vigorously, giving full ground cover earlier and hence providing better
weed control. Planting depth should be in a furrow or hole about 30 cm
deep. Planting should be timed to rainfall with lower rainfall areas
planted during the early part of the rainy season for best survival and
production. In areas with well-distributed rainfall or if one is using
irrigation the effect of planting dates is less important because
planting can occur throughout the year. Most of the planting and
production operation is manual in small communities except for
occasional chemical weed control.

In Hawaii, the planting material is called huli. Huli are the cormels
(\'oha or keiki) that have been trimmed. When the kalo plant is
harvested, the keiki are cut off from the harvested makua plant and
their leaves and corms are cut off, leaving only about a quarter of an
inch attached to the stem. These huli are then left in a cool, dry place
for a day or two to allow the cut to heal before they are planted again.
The huli should be kept moist so that they don't dry out but should not
be left in standing water otherwise they will rot. After a day or so,
the huli will be ready for planting.\
Wet kalo is grown in the lowlands and on valley floors in man made
terraces (Lo\'i) that are irrigated by diverted mountain streams. The
huli may be planted in rows or in mounds in the lo\'i. They will grow to
maturity in 9-14 months, depending on the variety. Wet kalo must have
cold water running through it's lo\'i because warm, standing water will
cause the kalo to rot.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Weeding must be preformed during the first six months after planting. If
weeding is not done on a regular basis during the first six months, taro
production can be reduced by as much as 50 to 85 percent. Weeding after
six months is usually not important because the taro crop forms full
ground cover therefore preventing young weeds from growing. Unwanted
vegetation can be controlled using mechanical means or through the use
of approved herbicides.

The taro must be weeded and mulched several times during the crop's
growth. Commercial fertilizers are also used to produce larger plants.

When the crop is ready to be harvested, the taro are pulled out of the
ground and the corms cut off. The new planting material will also be
prepared at this time. If the taro is being grown for the leaves, the
leaves should be picked about two months after planting when the leaves
are large but still young. If the taro is being grown for the corms,
then they should be harvested when the corms reach maturity. Taro that
is being grown for the corms should not be used for leaves because
picking the leaves while the corm is developing will damage the corm.

# Harvesting 

Harvesting of taro depends on the location of the crop and the variety
planted. However, most lowland plantings can be harvested in 12 to 15
months after planting if weeds are controlled. Taro growing on the
warmer upland sites with good solar radiation will mature in about 12
months. Most of the taro grown in the lowlands or wetland areas is
harvested by hand. The main corm and suckers are broken up and loosened
from the soil and rotated in a circular fashion to cut and sever the
roots. Mature taro leaves turn yellowish in color.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

Pests are major problems facing taro growers throughout its growing
range. Each of the following pests can occasionally become major pest
and require control measures. The largest number of pests usually attack
the leaves of the plant. The most common invertebrate pests are:
Grasshoppers, crickets, thrips, aphids, leafhoppers, mealy bugs, plant
hoppers, scales, whiteflies, several moths and butterflies, beetles,
termites, nematodes, snails and slugs, ants, and mites. Vertebrate pests
of taro include porcupines, rats and mice, bush pigs and rails. Taro
diseases caused by biotic agents include four main groups of fungi:
Ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, phycomycetes, and fungi imperfecti. These
biotic agents cause leaf blight, leaf spot, soft rot, spongy black rot,
and pocket rot of the corm.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

##### References  {#references .Header-3}

##### Hambali, G.G. 1979. The dispersal of taro by common palm civets. Proc Sdt Symp. Inter. Soc. Trop. Root Crops, Philippines {#hambali-g.g.-1979.-the-dispersal-of-taro-by-common-palm-civets.-proc-sdt-symp.-inter.-soc.-trop.-root-crops-philippines .Header-3}

#####  {#section-1 .Header-3}

Kubo, P. 1970. *The history of taro and taro products in Hawaii*.
Typescript paper submitted for Hist. 424, Dept of Hist., University of
Hawaii., Honolulu.

.

Panoff, F. 1972. *Manage taro and cordy1ine: elements of a Melanesian
key*. J. Poly. Soc. 81(3):375-88.

Plucknett, D.L. 1976. *Giant swamp taro*. Proc. 4th Symp. Tnter. Soc.
Trop. Root Crops. Cali, Colombia.

Plucknett, D.L., R.S. de la Pena, and F. Obrero. 1970. *Taro (Colocasia
esculenta): a review*. Field Crop Abstracts 23(4), 413-426.

Plucknett, D.L., and M.S. White. 1979. *Storage and processing of taro
in the People's Republic of China*. In: Small-scale processing and
storage of tropical root crops, ed. D .L. Plucknett. 119-123. Westview
Trop. Agric. Sr., no.1 Boulder, Colorado.

Roth, A., R.M. Worth, I.J. Lichton. 1967. *Use of poi in the prevention
of allergic diseases in potentially allergic infants*. Ann. of Allergy
25:505-506.

USDA Forest Service. 2006. *Colocasia esculenta(L.) Schott, Araceae*.
Pacific Island Ecosystems At Risk. Accessed: 070213.
\<http://www.hear.org/pier/species/colocasia_esculenta.htm\>.

##### Prepared By {#prepared-by .Header-3}

##### *Lincoln M. Moore*, Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

And

*John H. Lawrence*, West Area Office, NRCS Pacific Islands Area,
Mongmong, Guam

##### Species Coordinator {#species-coordinator .Header-3}

*John H. Lawrence*, West Area Office, NRCS Pacific Islands Area,
Mongmong, Guam

Edited: 20Oct2003 1mm; 070213 jsp

#####  {#section-2 .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
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*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Conservation
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