ABSTRACT:

Colocasia is a native of the low wetlands of tropical South East Asia, but is now being cultivated throughout Polynesia, Melanesia, Indonesia, Egypt and tropical America. The wide diffusion of the plant has made it acquire many local names; among others : "talo" or "dalo" in the South Pacific, "kalo" in Hawaii, "taro" in tropical America, "nampi" in Central America, and "coco-yam" in the West Indies.