What are Elephant Ears?
The descriptive name given to this tropical plant says it all. The leaves of elephant ears are shaped like the ears of an elephant, and gardeners enjoy them for their large, eye-catching foliage. In many varieties, the leaves can grow up to 3 feet long (.91 meters) and 2 feet wide (.6 meters). They can easily become the focal point of any garden, border or path. Their size and shape can even draw the eye to a previously ignored corner of the garden. Elephant ears belong to several plant families, including caladium, colocasia and alocasia. More commonly, colocasia is referred to as taro, and caladium is called angel wings. More than 200 varieties exist, some with variegated foliage, like Nancy’s Revenge, and some with ruffled leaves, like the aptly named Ruffles and Black Ruffles. One type children will love is Mickey Mouse, which has large leaves shaped like a silhouette of the famous mouse. Caladiums also come in pink, white and red varieties. The habit of elephant ears is to send up
