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tropical

Ruffles Elephant Ear

Colocasia esculenta 'Ruffles'

 

 
Ruffles Elephant Ear (Colocasia esculenta 'Ruffles') at Plumline Nursery

Ruffles Elephant Ear foliage

Ruffles Elephant Ear foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  5 feet

Spread:  4 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  (annual)

Other Names:  Cocoyam, Dasheen, Taro

Description:

An unusual variety with large green leaves that are nicely ruffled along the edges; a lovely, textural garden or pondside accent plant for a tropical look

Ornamental Features

Ruffles Elephant Ear is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its cascading habit of growth. Its attractive enormous heart-shaped leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Ruffles Elephant Ear is an open herbaceous tropical plant with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its wonderfully bold, coarse texture can be very effective in a balanced garden composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ruffles Elephant Ear is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Accent
  • Mass Planting
  • General Garden Use
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

This plant is native to the tropics and prefers growing in moist environments with evenly warm conditions all year round. In our climate, it is usually grown as an outdoor annual in the garden or in a container. If you want it to survive the winter, it can be brought in to the house and provided with special care, and then returned to the garden the following season. In its preferred tropical habitat, it can grow to be around 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. However, when grown as an annual or when overwintered indoors, it can be expected to perform differently, and its exact height and spread will depend on many factors; you may wish to consult with our experts as to how it might perform in your specific application and growing conditions.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Ruffles Elephant Ear is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

-- THIS IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --

 
 
Hardiness Zone  Plant Height  Minimum Sunlight   
Characteristics
Accent  Massing  Garden  Container 
Applications
Foliage Color  Texture  Plant Form 
Features & Attributes

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