Colocasia gaoligongensis (syn. fontanesii)

Colocasia Araceae

A properly hardy elephant ear — proof that not every Colocasia requires a heated greenhouse and a therapist. Colocasia gaoligongensis produces handsome, matt-green, shield-shaped leaves, each with a distinctive purple-black central spot and often darker markings between the veins when young. Yellowish arum-like flowers appear in summer, but the foliage is the real attraction. Native to Yunnan in south-west China, it comes from the Gaoligong Mountains, where plants occur at high elevations and experience considerably cooler conditions than the tropical origins of many cultivated taros. 

In Britain it has earned a reputation as one of the hardiest Colocasias, with established plants surviving severe frosts; specialist growers have recorded survival around −10°C and even lower in particularly favourable situations.  It is deciduous, dying back with frost before returning from its tuberous underground growth in spring. Give it moist, fertile soil in sun or dappled shade, with plenty of summer water and feeding for the largest leaves. A generous winter mulch is advisable in colder gardens. Unlike a static clump, it spreads enthusiastically by stolons, making it excellent for creating a luxuriant exotic planting — although it may eventually decide that your definition of “one plant” is rather restrictive. 

Distribution: Yunnan, south-west China; Gaoligong Mountain region.
Flowering: July–September
Hardiness: H4, approximately −10 to −5°C; considerably tougher in sheltered sites with winter protection
Height: 50–100 cm
Spread: 100–200 cm+