Taro
Taro – Colocasia esculenta
Herbaceous perennial up to 150 cm high, with long heart-shaped or arrowhead-shaped leaves, 10-50 cm long by 5-35 cm long. It has a short underground stem called a corm, where the plant stores starch produced by the leaves.
Importance
They were plants cultivated intensively in agricultural enclosures, and among rocks or piles of stones, as they needed greater humidity for their growth. Today it is observed as a crop or ornamental plant, mainly in gardens and private plots. Like Ipomoea batatas , taro was one of the main tubers that supported daily nutrition in ancient times. Ipomoea batatas, el taro fue uno de los tubérculos principales que sustentó la alimentación diaria en tiempos antiguos.
Propagation
It is traditionally reproduced by planting the corms.
Ecology
Subspontaneous and uncommon in the natural environment, distributed in various places on the island, especially in old manavai, ravines and places with concentration of humidity.
Conservation
Widely cultivated in agricultural areas. Research is recommended to evaluate the conservation status of ancient varieties.
Distribution
Probably native to tropical Asia, today it is cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions.
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