Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’
Elephant ears, yellow taro, golden elephant ear
This cultivated Xanthosoma is selected for its chartreuse leaves. Different sources list it as a cultivar of Xanthosoma mafaffa, Xanthosoma sagittifolium, or Xanthosoma aurea. I’ve also seen it called “Xanthosoma ‘Key Lime Zinger.’” Whatever it is, and wherever it comes from, it is not found in the wild. The name “elephant’s ear” isn’t unique to this species, either. According to Bodhisagan’s Plants and Rants, ”Xanthosoma, along with Colocasia, Alocasia, and other genera with large leaves in the Arum (Araceae) family, are commonly called Elephant’s Ear.”
Plants: 2–5′ (60–152 cm) high, growing quickly.
Leaves: Large, yellow-green “elephant ears” which seem to fluoresce in cloudy weather. They are up to 2′ (60 cm) long and heart-shaped.
Flowers: A greenish-white spathe enclosing a white spadix up to 9″ (22 cm) long.
Online References:
9/7/2010 · New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Alismatidae | Aquatic and marshy plants |
| Order | Alismatales | Herbaceous flowering plants found in marshy habitats |
| Family | Araceae | Arum family, with plants whose flower is enclosed in a spathe |
| Genus | Xanthosoma | From xantho, “yellow,” and soma, “body,” probably a reference to the spadix |
Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’ description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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