Pets admin  

World’s Largest Elephant Ear – Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant Strain

When was Thailand’s giant strain discovered?

Colocasia gigantea The giant strain from Thailand was discovered in 2003 by former Plant Delights Research Director Dr. Petra Schmidt. Petra is an aroid expert sent to Southeast Asia on a plant collecting expedition by PDN owner Tony Avent (see a list of PDN plant expeditions here).

Petra toured Laos and Thailand and kept her eyes peeled for something new and amazing…and boy did she ever hit the mark! While she was in Kanchanaburi province, a local guide took her to a huge specimen of Colocasia gigantea that grows in a national park. As you can see in the picture, the plant was bigger than the minivan Petra was traveling in!

Petra collected seeds from the plant and the seedlings became the basis for the plant we have on the market today. The seedlings are slightly different, but they are all much larger than average. That’s why we call it ThaiGiant Strain instead of giving it some cultivar name… the plants are not clones.

How big will it grow?

Colocasia gigantea Thailand giant strain is marginally hardy in our Raleigh, NC garden. It goes dormant at the first sign of cold weather in the fall and remains dormant until the following summer. The plant doesn’t wake up until it’s really, really hot…which is usually July for us. It grows quite fast and at the end of September it approaches its maximum size in our garden. Ours tops out at about 6′ tall, but the leaves are giant and can easily measure 3′ wide and 4.5′ long. Our short warm season greatly limits their final size. This plant will grow much more in the semi-tropical states of the US, where it feels more like its homeland, Thailand.

In its natural home, the parent of our seed strain grew over 9 feet tall…truly monstrous!

How do we take care of the giants of Thailand?

Colocasia gigantea Thailand Giant Strain is a hardy zone 8 plant. Raleigh is in zone 7b and therefore we need to take steps to protect our plant during the winter. The following list is a highlight of our efforts:

  1. We plant our Thailand Giant in a place that remains dry in winter. A damp spot will promote winter rot.
  2. In late summer or fall we dig up the plant and replant it deeper. We have recently learned that Colocasias tend to move up the soil profile over time. We need to counteract this so the crown doesn’t freeze.
  3. In the fall, we remove dead foliage and pile a mound of shredded leaves on top of the bulb to insulate it.
  4. At the end of spring, we remove the shredded leaves so that the soil does not get too wet.
  5. During the summer we keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Unlike C. esculenta, which likes wet feet, C. gigantea does not.

Leave A Comment