Hawaiian Plant Guide
Elephant's Ear
Learn about Elephant's Ear, a bold tropical plant with huge green leaves that can reach 3 feet long. Polynesian voyagers carried this useful plant across the Pacific, and it grows best in moist, protected places.
Elephant's Ear Overview
This plant grows large, up to 3 feet (0.9 m) long leaves on waist-high stem, hence its name elephant ear. It thrives in moist, wind-protected gulches. Elephant's Ear is a native of India and Sri Lanka. Polynesian navigators brought this plant with them wherever they traveled. Its stem can be baked and eaten when no other foods are available.
