| Leucocasia gigantea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Subfamily: | Aroideae |
| Tribe: | Colocasieae |
| Genus: | Leucocasia Schott (1857) |
| Species: | L. gigantea |
| Binomial name | |
| Leucocasia gigantea (Blume) Schott (1857) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Leucocasia gigantea, also called thegiant elephant ear orIndian taro, is a species offlowering plant. It is a 1.5–3 m (4 ft 11 in – 9 ft 10 in) tallaroid plant with a large, fibrouscorm, producing at its apex awhorl of thick, green leaves.[2] It is the sole species in genusLeucocasia.[1]
Leucocasia gigantea is a "sister species" to another widely-cultivated 'taro',Colocasia esculenta, as well as to thealocasias, such as the largeAlocasia macrorrhizos; it is speculated thatL. gigantea was created as a result of natural hybridization betweenA. macrorrhizos andC. esculenta.[3] It is called 'dọc mùng' innorthern Vietnam and 'môn bạc hà' or 'bạc hà' in some provinces insouthern Vietnam.[4][5][6]
InJapanese, it is commonly called ハス芋 (hasu-imo),[7] or "lotus yam". It is known asryukyu inKōchi Prefecture, as it is found in theRyukyu Kingdom.[citation needed]
In addition to its value as a starchy root vegetable—known by many names, such astaro, orarbi (inHindi)—the plant’sleaf stalk (petiole) is also used as a vegetable in some areas ofSoutheastern Asia andJapan.[citation needed] It is sometimes used as an ingredient inmiso soup,chanpurū andsushi.[citation needed]
