I plan to keep the small plants growing indoors
during the winter. The other mature plants which I think are large
enough will be lifted from the garden in October and stored in the
manner prescribed in 1871 by William Robinson, in his book, The
Subtropical Garden:
"At the approach of frosty weather, all leaves,
or all but the central one, should be cut down to within an inch
or two from the crown, and a few days afterwards the tuber should
be taken up, and left on the ground for a few hours to dry; they
should then be stored on the shelves of a greenhouse, or in a cellar,
or other place where they will be sheltered from frost and moisture.
By placing in a hotbed in March, plants may be obtained with well
grown leaves for planting out in the open air about the end of May/beginning
of June."
Colocasia antiquorum is commonly misnamed Colocasia
esculenta. The real C. antiquorum, the 'Egyptian Taro' is the smallest
leaved form and is actually from India.
The next Colocasia is a stove plant of gigantic
size. It grows leaves in excess of a metre, on 'trunks' rather than
stems, about 60cm long, and should be placed in full sun in a very
sheltered spot and not put outdoors until June. It is known variously
as Colocasia gigantea, Colocasia indica or Colocasia (alocasia)
odora.
Big Leaves!
