Taro

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

Close-up of two taro roots with brown, fibrous, and patterned skin on a wooden surface.

Rows of taro plants (Colocasia esculenta) with large, heart-shaped green leaves growing in cultivated soil in the Cook Islands.

Lush green taro fields divided into rectangular plots with water, set in a broad valley with forested mountains in the background in Hawaii.

Underground stems

Taro: Media

plant

Images

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

. The large leaves of taro are commonly consumed.

Bouba

Close-up of two taro roots with brown, fibrous, and patterned skin on a wooden surface.

Taro corms

Taro corms are a good source of beneficial carbohydrates and fibers.

© Nancy Kennedy/Shutterstock.com

Rows of taro plants (Colocasia esculenta) with large, heart-shaped green leaves growing in cultivated soil in the Cook Islands.

Taro

Edible taro plants (Colocasia esculenta) cultivated in the Cook Islands.

© Rafael Ben Ari/Dreamstime.com

Lush green taro fields divided into rectangular plots with water, set in a broad valley with forested mountains in the background in Hawaii.

taro cultivation

View of taro fields in Hawaii.

© Shutterbas/Dreamstime.com

taro

taro

Taro (Colocasia esculenta).

Donald P. Watson

corms

corms

Corms from taro (Colocasia esculenta).

David Monniaux

Underground stems

Underground stems

Examples of underground stems: (left) taro corm, (centre) ginger rhizome, and (right)...

(Left) © Nancy Kennedy/Shutterstock.com; (center) © ilkka kukko/Fotolia; (right) © anweber/Fotolia

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: