Caladium Plants 

Elephant ear is one common name for a few large leaf plants all in the family Araceae.  Two other common names include Heart of Jesus and Angle Wings. There are three types of plants that are called elephant ears.  One type of plant in the family commonly called elephant ears, are in the genus Caladium, which has seven species in the group.

Caladium bulbs grow wild in Central and South America.  They grow from corms to a height of sixteen to thirty-six inches.  The leaves are six to eighteen inches at their widest point.  Caladium elephant ears are bicolor.  The colors include white, pink, red and green.  The leaves of cultivated caladium are usually about two feet long.

Two common types of caladiums have a heart shape or arrowhead shape leaf. The ornamental plants are often grown for indoors for houseplants, or they can be grown outdoors.  In cooler climates the corm is dug up and stored until the following spring.  Most Caladium plants for sale are grown in Lake Placid, Florida.

Plant caladiums in moist soil during the spring, after the chance of frost.  They need plenty of water during the growing season and should not be allowed to dry out.  The spring planting bulbs do best in mostly shady areas.  Along a warm shady creek would be a good place to plant caladium bulbs.  To transplant or thin elephant ears, divide the tubers.  Caladium bulbs are hardy in zone 10, meaning that they can be left in the ground year around.

Note:  All parts of these plants are poisonous.