Taro is a member of the Araceae family, which includes the philodendron, anthurium and dieffenbachia plants. It is a perennial, tropical plant primarily grown as a root vegetable for its edible starchy corm, and as a leaf vegetable. Leaves, roots, and corms can be used as dietary ingredients, but the plant must be cooked. Corm vary greatly in size and are round, elongate and cylindrical, up to 35 cm long and 15 cm across, often surrounded by a small number of secondary corms or cormlets called cormels. Taro is cultivated in rich, well-drained soil. The tubers are harvested seven months after planting. Taro leaves and tubers are poisonous if eaten raw; the acrid calcium oxalate they contain must first be destroyed by heating.
| Name | Taro |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Colocasia esculenta |
| Native | Originated in India |
| Common/English Name | Chinese Potato, Cocoyam, Colocasia, Curcas, Dalo, Dasheen, Dry Taro, Eddoe, Egyptian Colocasia, Elephant Ear, Old Cocoyam, Small Taro, Sweet Taro, Taro, True Taro, Yam, Dasheen |
| Name in Other Languages | esser Antilles : Dachine Trinidad and Tobago : Taro Amazonia : Pituca Guyana : Chinese Tayer Bangladesh : Aro Kachu Dominican Republic : Tahia Woleaisan : Uot Cameroon : Cocoyam Nepal : Pindalu (Corm) Chamorro : Suni Arabic : Qolqas Tahitian : Taro China : Yu Korean : Thoran Congo : Lengue Lebanon : Kilkass Costa Rica : Tiquisque Italian : Colocasia Dutch : Taro Egypt : Kolkas Cook Islands : Māmio Philippines : Linsa Uganda : Opela ( Alur & Jonam ) Fiji : Dalo German : Echte Blattwurz Maldives : Ala Pohnpeian : Enisohpoadok Guatemala : Quiquisque Hawaiian : Taro I – Kiribati : Te Taororo Brazil : Taioba Polynesia : Colulu Tongarevan : Talo India : Alti Kachu Marshallese : Jibabwãi Vietnam : Khoai Môn Indonesia : Bote Ulithian : Ioth Chuukese : Eot Venezuela : Chino Mokilese : Jawa Tokelauan : Talo Jamaica : Coco Khmer : Traw Russian : Taro Canary Islands : Ñame Kosraean : Kohtahk Papua New Guinea : Ma Laotian : Bon Wallisian : Talo Madagascar : Sonj Solomon Islands : Taro Haiti : Caraibe Malaysia : Koadi ( Jakun ) West Africa : Old Cocoyam French : Taro Marquesas : Taro Japanese : Imo Turkey : Oni Pingelapan : Sewa Danish : Taro Spanish : Alcocaz Micronesia : Kurau Taiwan : Yùtou Portuguese : Inhame Da Africa Nauruan : De Taro South Africa : Amadumbe Niuean : Talo Tongan : Talo Pakistan : Arvi Kwara ‘Ae: Alo Palauan : Bisupsal Yapese : Lak Peru : Pituca Vanuatu : Pes Pukapukan : Wāwā Samoan : Talo Columbia : Papa China Satawalese : Wot Omalu New Caledonia : Dap Suriname : Aroei Cuba : Guagui Thai : Phuak Puerto Rico : Angustia |
| Plant Growth Habit | Glabrous, acaulescent , mainly diploid, herbaceous, perennial plant, |
| Growing Climate | Thrives in hot, humid conditions, found growing in moist forests and wet areas in riparian habitats, riverbanks, along streams, marshes and canals or cultivated near farmhouses, in water fields or as under-planting in coconut groves. |
| Soil | Deep, well-drained, friable loams, particularly alluvial loams, with a high water table |
| Plant Size | 50–150 cm high |
| Root | Adventitious and fibrous and white. |
| Petioles | Robust, uniformly light or dark green, with dark streaks of violet, erect, to 100 cm long, inserted 3–7 cm from base of blade and invaginate on lower 1/3 and sheathing at the petiole base. |
| Leaf | Large heart-shaped, frilly edged leaves and are usually green or sometimes purple |
| Flower | Yellow to orange, deciduous or withering; the spathe surrounds a spadix yellow, much shorter than the spathe; |
| Berry | Thin walled, green, ellipsoid and 3–5 mm in diameter containing a few seeds |
| Seed | Ovoid, ridged, pale- yellow, small, albuminous seeds, 1.2–1.5 mm × 0.7–1 mm |
| Corm Shape & Size | Size of a turnip, round, elongate and cylindrical, up to 35 cm long and 15 cm across |
| Corm Color | Brown |
| Skin | Fibrous |
| Flesh Color | Purple, white, yellow or pinkish, depending on the variety |
| Weight | About 2-4 pounds |
| Flavor/Aroma | Nutty flavor just like that of water chestnuts |
| Taste | Sweet vanilla, floral and potato-y |
| Varieties/Types | Giant taro, swamp taro, arrowleaf elephant’s ear |
| Major Nutrition | Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.294 mg (22.62%) Carbohydrate 27.52 g (21.17%) Copper, Cu 0.179 mg (19.89%) Manganese, Mn 0.398 mg (17.30%) Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 2.48 mg (16.53%) Potassium, K 615 mg (13.09%) Phosphorus, P 87 mg (12.43%) Total dietary Fiber 4.3 g (11.32%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.099 mg (8.25%) Magnesium, Mg 34 mg (8.10%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1cup (104gm) | 116 Kcal |
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Scientific Classification
| Scientific name | Colocasia esculenta |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta |
| Order | Arales |
| Family | Araceae |
| Genus | Colocasia Schott |
| Species | Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott |
| Super division | Spermatophyta |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Sub Class | Arecidae |