Colocasia mojito

Common Name: taro 

Type: Bulb

Family: Araceae

Zone: 8 to 10

Height: 4.00 to 5.00 feet

Spread: 4.00 to 5.00 feet

Bloom Time: Rarely, flowers

Bloom Description: Yellowish white

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium to wet

Maintenance: Medium

Suggested Use: Annual, Rain Garden

Flower: Insignificant

Leaf: Colorful

Tolerate: Wet Soil

Culture

Medium to moist, organically rich soils with fertile and nutrient-rich humus are ideal for growing this plant. In areas with scorching summers, afternoon shade is appreciated. Keep soils wet when growing plants in garden soils, especially during the hot summer months. Alternatively, plants can be cultivated as pond marginals in ponds with up to six inches of water standing. During the growing season, plants require frequent fertilizer to keep up with their rapid development. Wind-protected areas are ideal for growing plants. In USDA Zones 8-10, tubers can be kept in the ground year-round. Tubercules should be planted after April 20, pulled up after the first frost, and overwintered in a cold, dry place (in dry peat or wood shavings) where temperatures do not fall below 45°F, similar to how canna tubers are overwintered in St. Louis.

This mutant was found and chosen by Ty Richard Strode in Apopka, Florida, in May 2007 from a naturally occurring branch mutation of Colocasia esculenta “Midnight”. Height: Upright, big leaves with irregular black to very dark purple patterns and light green petioles with dark purple longitudinal streaking that fades to pink on the underside. ‘Mojito’ reaches a height and width of 4 to 5 feet.