Coco-yam (Colocasia esculenta, H. Schott & S. L. Endlicher, Melet. bot. 18. 1832)

Family: Araceae

Author: Schott (L.)

Bibliography: H. Schott & S. L. Endlicher, Melet. bot. 18. 1832

Year: 1832

Status: accepted

Rank: species

Genus: Colocasia

Vegetable: True

Observations: India to S. China and Sumatera

Description

Coco-yam, scientifically known as Colocasia esculenta, is a prominent plant species belonging to the family Araceae. This plant has a long history of cultivation and utilization across different regions, primarily from India to Southern China and Sumatera.

Colocasia esculenta is noted for its large, heart-shaped leaves that stand prominently on long, sturdy petioles. The plant is typically cultivated for its edible corms, which are rich in carbohydrates and serve as a staple food in many tropical and subtropical regions. These corms are not only nutritious but also versatile, lending themselves to a variety of culinary applications. They can be boiled, baked, or fried, and are often used in soups, stews, and even desserts.

In addition to its agricultural significance, Coco-yam plays a crucial role in traditional medicine and cultural practices. Various parts of the plant, including the leaves and corms, have been used in folk remedies to treat a range of ailments, from digestive issues to skin conditions.

The growing conditions for Colocasia esculenta require a warm and humid climate, with ample rainfall or irrigation to support its water-loving nature. It thrives in loamy, well-drained soils rich in organic matter. This adaptability has allowed it to spread and become naturalized in many regions outside its native range.

H. Schott & S. L. Endlicher, in their work “Melet. bot. 18” published in 1832, provided an essential bibliographic reference for understanding and classifying this species. Schott (L.), a renowned botanist, was instrumental in the scientific delineation of Colocasia esculenta, thus making significant contributions to the botanical community’s knowledge of this important plant.

Overall, Coco-yam stands out not just for its agricultural value but also for its cultural and medicinal importance, making it a vital species in many tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

Common Names

En: Coco-Yam, Cocoyam, Dasheen, Taro, Eddo, Elephant’s-ear, Coco yam, Wild taro, Elephant Ears, Elephant’s ear, Kalo, Malanga
It: Aro d’Egitto, Fava d’Egitto, Pampini del Paradiso, Taro, Trombe del Paradiso
Eng: coco yam, cocoyam, dasheen, eddo, elephant’s-ear, taro, wild taro
Mlt: għorgħas
Deu: taro, zehrwurzel
Spa: alcocaz, colocasia, malanga, tayoba
Fra: colocasie
Msa: daun keladi
Por: inhame, inhame-branco, inhame-da-índia, inhame-roxo, taioba, taioba-de-são-tomé
Swe: taro
Nob: taro
Nno: taro
Vie: khoai sọ
Ar: Qolqas
Fr: Colocasie, Colocase comestible, Songe, Taro, Chou de chine
De: Zehrwurzel, Taro
Ko: Toran
Ms: Daun keladi
Mt: Għorgħas
Nb: Taro
Nn: Taro
Pt: Inhame, Inhame-branco, Inhame-da-índia, Inhame-roxo, Taioba, Taioba-de-são-tomé
Pt-br: Inhame, Inhame-branco, Inhame-da-África, Inhame-da-costa, Taioba-de-São-Tomé
Es: Malanga, Alcocaz, Colocasia, Tayoba, Bore, Nampi
Sv: Taro
Vi: Khoai sọ
Zu: Madumbe

Synonyms

• Colocasia antiquorum (Schott)
• Calla gaby (Blanco)
• Arum lividum (Salisb.)
• Colocasia esculenta f. ebiimo (Makino)
• Caladium violaceum (Desf.)
• Colocasia esculenta var. euchlora ((K.Koch & Linden) A.F.Hill)
• Colocasia esculenta var. globulifera ((Engl. & K.Krause) R.A.Young)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. rosea (Makino)
• Colocasia esculenta var. nymphaeifolia ((Kunth) A.F.Hill)
• Colocasia aegyptiaca (Samp.)
• Colocasia esculenta var. rupicola ((Haines) H.B.Naithani)
• Colocasia antiquorum f. acuatica (Makino)
• Colocasia tonoimo (Nakai)
• Alocasia illustris (W.Bull)
• Colocasia formosana (Hayata)
• Colocasia konishii (Hayata)
• Colocasia antiquorum f. oyasetage (Makino)
• Colocasia antiquorum f. yamamotoi (Makino)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. nymphaeifolia ((Vent.) Engl.)
• Caladium esculentum bataviensis (Hovey)
• Colocasia vulgaris (Raf.)
• Leucocasia esculenta ((L.) Nakai)
• Colocasia esculenta var. acris ((R.Br.) A.F.Hill)
• Arum esculentum (L.)
• Caladium violaceum var. alboviolaceum (André)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. typica (Engl.)
• Caladium acre (R.Br.)
• Caladium colocasioides ((Desf.) Brongn.)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. acris ((R.Br.) Schott)
• Colocasia euchlora (K.Koch & Linden)
• Colocasia colocasia ((L.) Huth)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. stolonifera (Haines)
• Colocasia peltata ((Lam.) Samp.)
• Arum colocasia (L.)
• Caladium parimaense (André)
• Colocasia neocaledonica (Van Houtte)
• Caladium nigrescens (André)
• Alocasia dussii (Dammer)
• Colocasia acris ((R.Br.) Schott)
• Colocasia esculenta var. stolonifera ((Haines) H.B.Naithani)
• Colocasia himalensis (Royle)
• Caladium nymphaeifolium (Vent.)
• Colocasia gracilis (Engl.)
• Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis (Hassk.)
• Colocasia antiquorum f. eguimo (Makino)
• Colocasia violacea ((Desf.) Anon.)
• Arum nymphaeifolium ((Vent.) Roxb.)
• Colocasia antiquorum f. purpurea (Makino)
• Arum peltatum (Lam.)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. illustris ((W.Bull) Engl.)
• Caladium esculentum ((L.) Vent.)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. globulifera (Engl. & K.Krause)
• Colocasia esculenta f. rotundifolia (Makino)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. patens (Makino)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. euchlora ((K.Koch & Linden) Schott)
• Arum chinense (L.)
• Colocasia esculenta var. illustris ((W.Bull) A.F.Hill)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. rupicola (Haines)
• Colocasia esculenta var. typica (A.F.Hill)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta ((L.) Schott)
• Colocasia nymphaeifolia ((Vent.) Kunth)
• Caladium glycyrrhizum (Fraser)
• Arum colocasioides (Desf.)
• Colocasia antiquorum var. multifolia (Makino)
• Caladium divaricatum (André)
• Aron colocasium ((L.) St.-Lag.)
• Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum ((Schott) F.T.Hubb. & Rehder)
• Colocasia vera (Hassk.)
• Caladium antiquorum ((Schott) André)
• Caladium atrovirens (André)

Distribution

• Assam (native)
• Bangladesh (native)
• China South-Central (native)
• China Southeast (native)
• East Himalaya (native)
• India (native)
• Laos (native)
• Malaya (native)
• Myanmar (native)
• Nepal (native)
• Sumatera (native)
• Taiwan (native)
• Thailand (native)
• Alabama (introduced)
• Algeria (introduced)
• Andaman Is. (introduced)
• Azores (introduced)
• Baleares (introduced)
• Benin (introduced)
• Bermuda (introduced)
• Bismarck Archipelago (introduced)
• Bolivia (introduced)
• Brazil North (introduced)
• Brazil Northeast (introduced)
• Brazil South (introduced)
• Cambodia (introduced)
• Cameroon (introduced)
• Canary Is. (introduced)
• Caroline Is. (introduced)
• Cayman Is. (introduced)
• Central African Repu (introduced)
• Chad (introduced)
• Chagos Archipelago (introduced)
• Christmas I. (introduced)
• Colombia (introduced)
• Comoros (introduced)
• Congo (introduced)
• Cook Is. (introduced)
• Costa Rica (introduced)
• Cuba (introduced)
• Dominican Republic (introduced)
• East Aegean Is. (introduced)
• Easter Is. (introduced)
• Ecuador (introduced)
• Florida (introduced)
• Galápagos (introduced)
• Gambia (introduced)
• Gilbert Is. (introduced)
• Guinea-Bissau (introduced)
• Gulf of Guinea Is. (introduced)
• Guyana (introduced)
• Haiti (introduced)
• Hawaii (introduced)
• Honduras (introduced)
• Italy (introduced)
• Ivory Coast (introduced)
• Japan (introduced)
• Jawa (introduced)
• Kermadec Is. (introduced)
• Korea (introduced)
• Laccadive Is. (introduced)
• Leeward Is. (introduced)
• Lesser Sunda Is. (introduced)
• Line Is. (introduced)
• Louisiana (introduced)
• Madagascar (introduced)
• Madeira (introduced)
• Malawi (introduced)
• Maldives (introduced)
• Marquesas (introduced)
• Mexico Southwest (introduced)
• Mississippi (introduced)
• Morocco (introduced)
• Nauru (introduced)
• New Caledonia (introduced)
• New Guinea (introduced)
• New South Wales (introduced)
• Nicaragua (introduced)
• Nicobar Is. (introduced)
• Niue (introduced)
• Norfolk Is. (introduced)
• Paraguay (introduced)
• Peru (introduced)
• Portugal (introduced)
• Puerto Rico (introduced)
• Queensland (introduced)
• Samoa (introduced)
• Santa Cruz Is. (introduced)
• Sardegna (introduced)
• Senegal (introduced)
• Seychelles (introduced)
• Sicilia (introduced)
• Society Is. (introduced)
• Socotra (introduced)
• Solomon Is. (introduced)
• Spain (introduced)
• Sri Lanka (introduced)
• St.Helena (introduced)
• Sudan (introduced)
• Sulawesi (introduced)
• Texas (introduced)
• Togo (introduced)
• Tonga (introduced)
• Trinidad-Tobago (introduced)
• Tuamotu (introduced)
• Tunisia (introduced)
• Turkey (introduced)
• Tuvalu (introduced)
• Vanuatu (introduced)
• Venezuela (introduced)
• Venezuelan Antilles (introduced)
• Vietnam (introduced)
• Wallis-Futuna Is. (introduced)
• West Himalaya (introduced)
• Western Australia (introduced)
• Windward Is. (introduced)
• Yugoslavia (introduced)
• Zambia (introduced)
• Zaïre (introduced)
• Zimbabwe (introduced)

Additional Images

Leaf

Taken Aug 28, 2022 by Prasad Nayak (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 28, 2020 by Suzyy Q (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 28, 2020 by Suzyy Q (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jul 17, 2021 by josette Bagnaud (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Bark

Taken Oct 22, 2021 by piz tro (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 30, 2016 by Yves Demouy (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 5, 2017 by jose (cc-by-sa)

Habit

Taken Feb 18, 2015 by Andrew Gagg (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 7, 2021 by gilbert serveaux (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 30, 2021 by William Coville (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 30, 2016 by Yves Demouy (cc-by-sa)

Taken Feb 12, 2018 by Pep Secem (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Taken Sep 30, 2020 by gilles reant (cc-by-sa)

Taken Feb 20, 2019 by Dieter Albrecht (cc-by-sa)

Taken Oct 12, 2019 by Noëlle Dorion (cc-by-sa)

Taken Feb 20, 2019 by Dieter Albrecht (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 14, 2020 by Loday Lhawang (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Taken Dec 22, 2019 by Dieter Albrecht (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 23, 2020 by Jhansisri uttaravall (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jul 29, 2022 by Anatas (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 10, 2020 by anilkumar ayyappan (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 22, 2019 by Dieter Albrecht (cc-by-sa)

Other

Taken May 31, 2020 by pauline leg (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jan 12, 2022 by Leslie Nava (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 21, 2021 by Vaibhav N (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 21, 2021 by Vaibhav N (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 12, 2019 by D Kari (cc-by-sa)

Sources

• WFO (No URL)
• IPNI (No URL)
• POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1170772-2)
• PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Colocasia antiquorum Schott)
• GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/5330777)
• GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/5330776)
• PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott)

Specifications

Growth habit: Forb/herb

Growth