Re: colocasia non-tubers (repost of original)

From: Clarence Hester <hesterc at niven.acpub.duke.edu> on 1997.12.03 at 20:24:44(1699) In response to Lester Kallus's post, I can share similar experiences. I, too, have never observed a corm development when digging up or transplanting C. antiquorum illustris, C. fontanesii or the "whatever you call it" solid black taro. On the other hand, the latter two have been reliably ground hardy for me (zone 7b), while C. antiquorum illustris has +More survived in the ground, but with a diminished success rate. The one time I tried to overwinter these in pots in a cool basement it did not work as well as just leaving them in the ground. Also, storing bare root was a failure for me. Is it possible these plants develop corms under more favorable conditions or with age? Is there such a thing as a "fleshy" corm? For example, some Xanthosomas seem to have a turgid mass of tissue at the base, but not always with a hard "corm". Similarly, I've overwintered (bare root) an Ensete ventrosicum maurellii (Abyssinian Black Banana) for several years now, and there's never been the typical, almost "woody" banana corm--just a thick mass of fleshy, almost spongy "plant-base". Nonetheless, it comes back year after year even after months of dormancy. Clarence Hester

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