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Purple Stemmed Taro

Purple Stemmed Taro
Photo: Sheldon Navie
Invasive Plant
Purple Stemmed Taro
Colocasia esculenta
 

Large mid-dark green heart shaped leaves emerge on purplish stalks from underground tubers, to an eventual height of 2m. The plant has slender runners that enable the plant to spread and colonise an area. Flowers are small, yellow and mildly fragrant, similar to a miniature calla lily.

 

HOW IT SPREADS

  • This plant invades waterways and quickly dominates native vegetation.
  • Tubers can be moved with soil.
 
 
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Other superior selections include;

  • Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata' - Variegated Shell Ginger
  • Philodendron 'Xanadu'

Ask your local retailer for more superior selections

 

Alternative Plants

Cunjevoi
Photo: Paul Donatiu
Alternative Plant Cunjevoi
Alocasia brisbanensis
Trees and Shrubs
 

Large green elephant ear leaves emerge from a thick base to a height of 1.5m. Greenish white spathiphyllum style flowers appear on stalks in the warmer months followed by red berries.

Please note: all parts of this plant are considered poisonous if ingested.

Native Ginger
Photo: Macbird Floraprint
Alternative Plant Native Ginger
Alpinia caerulea
Trees and Shrubs
 

Excellent native plant with mid green leaves on erect stems that emerge from the central rhizome. The plant has beautiful white and red 'ginger type' flowers in clusters on the tips of branches. There is a selection with purple undersides to the leaves which makes a superb foliage contrast.

Swamp Lily
Photo: Lorna Rose
Alternative Plant Swamp Lily
Crinum pedunculatum
Trees and Shrubs
 

Robust clumping plant with thick leathery leaves which will grow in heavy water laden soils, saline situations and even the seashore. In spring and summer it produces several stout flowering stems with large clusters of thinly petalled white lily type flowers.

 
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