Colocasia esculenta var antiquorum 'Illustris' is a stunningly beautiful Elephant's Ear cultivar with black foliage and strongly veined with a bright contrasting green. It was first described in 1873 as Alocasia illustris by William Bull, the Chelsea nurseryman in his 'Catalogue of New Beautiful and Rare Plants offered by William Bull'. Bull had a nursery at 536 King's Road, at the corner of Gunter Grove that was called Bull's Establishment for New and Rare Plants. How 'Illustris' came into being is not known but Colocasia esculenta is a very variable species with unstable chromosomes during cell division and Bull was importing (and exporting) a large number of tropical species so it is probable that he noticed this variation and propagated it over time by bulbil division.
Colocasia esculenta var antiquorum 'Illustris' is sometimes just called Colocasia 'Illustris' or Colocasia 'Blackleaf Illustris'. In the USA, it is known as Imperial Taro. Its very exotic foliage often starts out green and then darkens as the season develops. The green veins are distinctive and the main characteristic of the cultivar.
Additional Information
| Order | Alismatales |
|---|---|
| Family | Araceae |
| Sub-Family | Aroideae |
| Synonyms | Alocasia illustris, Colocasia antiquorum var illustris, Colocasia esculenta var illustris: the type species has many synonyms including:- Colocasia acris, Colocasia antiquorum, Colocasia antiquorum var. acris, Colocasia antiquorum var. aquatilis, Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta, Colocasia antiquorum var. euchlora, Colocasia antiquorum var. fontanesii, Colocasia antiquorum var. globulifera, Colocasia antiquorum var. illustris, Colocasia antiquorum var. nymphaeifolia, Colocasia antiquorum var. typica, Colocasia esculenta var. acris, Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis, Colocasia esculenta var. fontanesii, Colocasia esculenta var. globulifera, Colocasia esculenta var. illustris, Colocasia esculenta var. typica, Colocasia esculenta var. euchlora, Colocasia euchlora, Colocasia fontanesii, Colocasia himalensis, Colocasia nymphaeifolia, Colocasia peregrina, Colocasia vulgaris, Alocasia dussii, Alocasia illustris, Arum chinense, Arum colocasia, Arum colocasioides, Arum esculentum, Arum nymphaeifolium, Arum peltatum, Caladium acre, Caladium colocasia, Caladium esculentum, Caladium nymphaeaefolium, Caladium violaceum, Calla gaby |
| Geographical Origin | Horticultural cultivar: type species worldwide throughout the tropics |
| Cultivation | Warm sunny position with ample water in the summer. Lift the tubers for storage over winter |
| Eventual Height | 60-70 cm |
| Eventual Spread | 50 cm |
| Hardiness | Tender |
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