Species · genus Xanthosoma · Araceae

Capote

Xanthosoma robustum Schott

Also known as: Elephant Ear

Growth habit

shrub

Native range

Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua

Reference · X. robustum

Cultivars of X. robustum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under X. robustum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Xanthosoma robustum is a large-leaved aroid from the warm, humid forests of Central America and tropical Mexico, where it grows as a coarse understory shrub. Give it warmth, steady humidity, and bright indirect light rather than direct sun, and water when the top inch or two of mix has dried — its fleshy roots and stems rot if left sitting wet. Let it approach dry between waterings rather than keeping it constantly saturated.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

16–30 °C

Soil mix

Rich, moisture-retentive well-draining aroid mix

Propagation

Division of tubers or offsets

Fertilizing

Regular balanced feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors; grown for its large arrow leaves

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae typically contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate mouth, throat, and digestive tract if chewed or ingested. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Capote yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.