Species · genus Xanthosoma · Araceae

Arrowleaf Elephant's Ear

Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott

Also known as: New Cocoyam · Callaloo · Tania · Tannia · White-malanga

Growth habit

tuberous subshrub

Native range

Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panamá, Peru, Venezuela

Reference · X. sagittifolium

Cultivars of X. sagittifolium

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

No named cultivars catalogued under X. sagittifolium 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 sagittifolium is a tuberous subshrub from the warm, humid tropics of Central and South America, growing large arrowhead leaves from a water-storing underground tuber. It wants warmth, steady humidity, and bright indirect light rather than direct sun. Let the top inch or two of mix dry before watering, since the tuber stores water and rots if kept soggy.

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 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

16–30 °C

Soil mix

Rich, moist, well-draining loamy mix

Propagation

Division of the tuberous corms

Fertilizing

Feed monthly with a balanced fertilizer while growing

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Seldom flowers indoors; prized for bold foliage

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and digestive tract if chewed. 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 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Arrowleaf Elephant's Ear 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.