Xanthosoma is a genus of about 50 species of tropical and sub-tropical arums in the flowering plant family, Araceae, all native to tropical America. Several species are grown for their starchy corms, an important food staple of tropical regions, known variously as malanga, new cocoyam, tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, taioba , dasheen and ‘ape. Many other species (including especially X. roseum) are utilized as ornamental plants, and in popular horticultural literature are known as ‘ape or elephant ear (from the purported resemblance of the leaf to an elephant’s ear), although the latter name is sometimes also applied to members with similar appearance and uses in the closely related genera of Caladium, Colocasia (i.e., taro), and Alocasia.
The leaves of most Xanthosoma species are 40-200 cm long, saggitate (arrowhead-shaped) or subdivided into 3 or as many as 18 segments. Unlike the leaves of Colocasia, those of Xanthosoma are usually not peltate—the upper v-notch extends in to the point of attachment of the leaf petiole to the blade.
Xanthosoma beranggotakan sekitar 50 species yang hidup di daerah tropis dan sub tropis benua Amerika. Beberapa species sengaja dibudidayakan untuk dikonsumsi “batang”nya dengan nama lokal yang berbeda-beda, misalnya: malanga, new cocoyam, tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, taioba , dan ‘ape. Jenis-jenis lain juga dimanfaatkan sebagai tanaman hias. Umumnya Xanthosoma memiliki daun yang lebar antara 40 cm sampai 200 cm, meski ada pula yang berbentuk dwarf yang punya bentuk kecil.
Jenis-jenis Xanthosoma antara lain:
Xanthosoma atrovirens ‘Albo Marginata’
Xanthosoma atrovirens ‘Dwarf Green’
Xanthosoma atrovirens variegated = mickey mouse
Xanthosoma aurea ‘Lime Zinger’
Xanthosoma daguense Engl.
Xanthosoma jeoquinii lineatum
Xanthosoma lindenii ‘Magnificum’
Xanthosoma maffaffa
Xanthosoma poeppigii
Xanthosoma ‘Princess’
Xanthosoma robusta
Xanthosoma daguense
Xanthosoma sagittifolium/sagittifolia - Giant Elephant Ear
Xanthosoma violaceum - Blue Taro
Xanthosoma ‘Violet’
Xanthosoma wendlandii
