COLOCASIA esculenta. Southeast Asia. Taro or elephant ears. Taro is grown in Asia and the South Pacific for its starchy tubers, treated much like potatoes. Here it is cultivated as an ornamental. This is a giant tuberous perennial, related to and somewhat resembling the calla lilies (Zantedeschia). It quickly forms broad thickets with its wandering rhizomes. Each shoot consists of several broadly arrow-shaped leaves up to 2’ long on thick stalks up to 6’ high. If it flowers, its light yellow, calla-like spathes are held beneath the leaves. Our offering was received from Edward Hawkins, who grows a wonderful variety of arum allies among other bits of vegetable insanity. It is either the cultivar ‘Fontanesia’ or something similar, with nearly black stalks and undersurfaces on the purple-tinged leaves. The spathes are bright yellow and seem to be freely produced in summer. It thrives in sun or shade near the coast, part shade inland, needing rich, reasonably well drained soil and regular watering. Hardy to around 20^o, resprouting from the tubers after devastation of the tops.