Colocasia esculenta 'Mojito' Care

Colocasia esculenta 'Mojito' is a tall and upright plant with large, ovate, variegated leaves that have black to very dark purple irregular markings and light green petioles that have dark purple longitudinal streaks that fade to pink.

Colocasia esculenta, commonly called taro, is a tuberous, stemless, frost-tender perennial of the arum family (see also calla lily and jack-in-the-pulpit) which typically grows 3-6' tall and as wide. For gardeners, it is primarily grown as a foliage plant with huge, heart-shaped to arrowhead-shaped, conspicuously-veined, downward-pointing, peltate leaves (to 2' long) on long, stout, succulent stems. As the common name suggests, each leaf purportedly resembles an elephant's ear. Calla lily-like flowers with yellowish-white spathes and spadixes are infrequently produced and usually hidden by the foliage when they do occur. This species is also commercially grown as a food crop in Hawaii (poi is made from the tubers) where it is commonly called taro. Genus name comes from the Greek word kolokasia used for the root of Nelumbo nucifera.