The Future of elephant ear plant

The Future of Elephant Ear Plants

Executive Summary about Elephant Ear Plants by Dennis Carey and Tony Avent

Breeders are selecting for many novel traits in Elephant Ear Plants. These include variegation, leaf shape, texture, petiole shape, and piko color.

Variegation in Colocasia often takes the form of variable sized splotches or flecks of color on the leaf surface. Common color combinations in variegated elephant ears are light green to yellow splotches on dark green leaves, green splotches on purple leaves, or purple splotches on light green or dark green leaves.
In addition to color, breeders are selecting for various leaf shapes and textures. Leaves may be somewhat arrow-head shaped (sagittate), or may be roundish on the sides (like a fat arrow-head). Generally, the leaf tip (apex) is pointed (acuminate) and the leaf base has two pointed or rounded lobes of varying size with a 'Y' shaped sinus in-between them. The leaf margin may be smooth or ruffled. All Colocasia leaves are hairless (glabrous) and have a smooth waxy feel. Colocasia leaves can be quite large (dare I say, elephantine even). A typical C. esculenta leaf may be 2' wide by 3' long but the mammoth Thailand Giant strain of C. gigantea leaves may be up to 4' by 5' while the tiny C. affinis leaves are only 4" by 6".
The leaves are held up by very long thick petioles that emerge directly from the underground corm. The petiole to leaf attachment is 'peltate'. In other words, the petiole does not attach to the edge of the leaf, but rather to the middle of the lower surface of the leaf. As a result the leaves are held perpendicular to the petiole. The petioles grow nearly straight up, but the leaves are generally upward or outward facing. The petioles may have attractive colors that contrast with the leaf. Petiole color may be black, purple, burgundy, maroon, red, pink, cream, or may be streaked with several colors at once.

Colocasias are not known for their flowers (inflorescences actually) because they are usually hidden underneath the leaf canopy. Spathe color is usually white or yellow and spadix color can vary from creamy white to yellow or orange. Extreme plant nerds (like us) note that the elephant ear 'flower' is actually an inflorescence; a cluster of small flowers called florets that are spaced along the spadix. The plants are monoecious which means that the tiny florets are separated into male and female florets on the same inflorescence.