Similarities & Differences Between Alocasia, Caladium, & Colocasia

We put some plants in our garden, not for the flowers, but the downright spectacular foliage that comes with them. Alocasia, Caladium, and Colocasia, all considered part of the Elephant Ear family, most certainly fall into this category. 

I like to think of flowers as the icing on a cake. While flowers are undoubtedly beautiful, they only make up around 10% of your garden, just like icing on a cake. But, the other parts of your landscape like shrubs, trees, groundcover, and the leaves on your plants are what give your garden substance and balance. 

While they do produce flowers (and berries!), that’s not why we grow them. Alocasia, Caladium, and Colocasia are all grown for their downright spectacular foliage. The sheer size of their leaves seems to be straight out of a fairytale. 

They do have some fairly distinct differences, but to the less familiar eye, if you had an Alocasia, Caladium, and Colocasia all planted near each other, it may be a bit of a challenge to identify which is which. 

Similarities Between Alocasia, Caladium & Colocasia

Before we dive into the differences between the three, we thought we might give you a bit of a primer on the features that these three beautiful plants share. 

Alocasia, Caladium, and Colocasia are all shade-tolerant, and they all like to grow in moist soil. Each of them has arrow-shaped (rather large) leaves, boast similar-looking flowers, and they are all critter-resistant. 

All three of these tropical Aroids also prefer to stay dry when dormant (or as I like to say, they like to sleep in a dry bed), and they are all heavy feeders, which means they need a nice soft, rich bed of compost to grow.

Differences Between Alocasia, Caladium & Colocasia

Despite having commonalities, there are actually some rather recognizable differences between these three beauties!

Alocasia

Typically, Alocasia is the only one of the three that is an upward-facing Elephant Ear. There are some exceptions to this, but the majority in our catalogue all have leaves that point up. 

Distinct from the other two, the leaves on an Alocasia are attached to the base of the stem rather than the center. Alocasias are slightly shade tolerant, but they do grow better in full sun.

Regardless of whether you want to introduce Alocasia, Caladiums, or Colocasia to your garden—or heck, why not all three!—you are sure to be treated to some spectacular foliage that will bring a dreamlike feel to your garden.

They prefer extremely rich soil, and they grow great in containers. They can be dug up when frost hits (just make sure you don’t wait until the ground freezes) and placed in a plastic garbage bag over winter. Just make sure there is soil on their roots, you keep them from drying out completely, and you keep them in a space warm enough that they won’t freeze. 

They’re tougher than nails! They can withstand wind, rain and can grow into serious giants. Their leaves can grow to four or five feet, and the plant itself can grow up to 8 feet in height. When it comes to coloring, their foliage is primarily dark green but can also come in shades of almost black with a silvery sheen, and some even have yellow veins in them. They produce a cone-like cluster of red-berried fruits (which, like the other two in this list, are not edible.)

Caladium

Native to South America, Caladiums are the most tender variation in this family. They are not hardy above zone 10 and are typically treated as annuals. 

You can dig them up before the frost hits, though, leave some soil on and dry them out before storing them in a space kept at approximately 70˚F. If they’re not stored in a warm enough spot, they will likely catch a fungus and rot. 

While Alocasias grow best in full sun, Caladiums actually prefer to grow in either part or full shade. Some are more sun-tolerant than others, but they tend to get burned if they dry out at all. 

Caladium stems attach at the center of the leaf rather than the edge. In terms of size, Caladiums are the most compact of the bunch. Their leaves grow to anywhere from six inches to maybe a foot in length and generally don’t grow much bigger than perhaps a foot and a half in height. 

Caladium foliage is primarily white, pink, and red. When in bloom, they produce a white flower and inedible white berries.

Colocasia

These are the hardiest of the three and also happen to be my absolute favorite. They like compost-rich soil that does not stay wet in the wintertime. 

The leaves on a Colocasia plant point down, and the stem (like Caladiums) is attached to the center of the leaf. They can be started in pots with compost. Once they are in leaf, you can sink the pots in a pond, and they are happy campers. They make for a great addition to any water garden. 

Colocasias are also the only one of the three that is actually a food crop. Grown commercially in Hawaii and also often found in Asian markets, the tubers of Colocasia Esculenta (more commonly known as taro) can be cooked down into a starchy edible paste called poi. 

Colocasia leaves can easily grow to three feet, and the plant itself can grow anywhere from two to six feet in height. Their foliage is predominantly green but with plenty of variation. There are black-leaved Colocasias, black-spotted, glossy, and matte-leaved varieties. Their subtle flowers are usually yellow, paired with white fruits or berries. 

Regardless of whether you want to introduce Alocasia, Caladiums, or Colocasia to your garden—or heck, why not all three!—you are sure to be treated to some spectacular foliage that will bring a dreamlike feel to your garden. And, now you know how to identify them! Check out our online catalogue for all kinds of variations.