Colocasia Painted Black Gecko

Colocasia 'Painted Black Gecko' is a new selection of Elephant's Ear with black foliage that is among the best in its category, with iridescent foliage, which changes the perception of its colour depending on the light, and relative cold resistance. The plant is not very large, but it attracts a lot of attention with its large, bumpy, shimmering leaves that display fifty shades of black. This colocasia can be grown as an indoor plant or in a mild and temperate garden with winter protection, in fertile, moist to wet soil, in full sun or partial shade.

Colocasia Painted Black Gecko was selected in the United States by Brian Williams, in Kentucky. It is a hybrid variety that counts Colocasia esculenta among its ancestors and is probably native to India. This species spread a long time ago into the tropical regions of South America and Oceania, and later tropical Africa. Colocasia belongs to the araceae family.

The cultivar 'Painted Black Gecko' is a perennial herbaceous plant that develops from a tuberous rhizome, forming a scaly corm, covered with thick skin. The adult plant will reach an average of 90 cm (35in) in all directions with magnificent elongated heart-shaped, very dark leaves, whose iridescent and shiny surface captures and refracts light. Depending on the angle of observation, the leaves appear charcoal black or petroleum black, dark chocolate brown, purple to dark purple, they take on tin, steel or anthracite highlights. The underside is matte, grey to brown. The leaf blade can reach 70 cm (28in) long and 40 cm (16in) wide, carried by an almost black, long petiole, sheathing at the base. The surface of the leaves allows water to slide off with its good water-repellence. During its growth, the plant branches out from the base, which allows it to remain compact. If you remove an old leaf, two new ones take its place.

In the garden, on the terrace and in the house, Colocasia 'Painted Black Gecko' is spectacular and easy-to-grow. It likes a sunny or semi-shady exposure, and is hardy down to -6/-8°C (21.2/17.6°F) under a thick protective mulch, which is quite an achievement for a tropical plant! It stands out as a focal point in contemporary or exotic decor, on the terrace planted in a large container and on the banks of a pond. This voracious plant gets along well with arums, banana trees, cannas, ferns, giant hostas...

True taro is consumed in Africa, China, Polynesia, and several other parts of the world. Its tubers are rich in starch, and its young leaves are eaten like spinach.