elephant ear plant

It’s pretty plain to see how the elephant ear plant got its name. Its great big leaves are the exact shape of, if not quite the size of, elephant’s ears. Just as striking are its zebra-striped stems. The combination makes for an eye-catching, sculptural houseplant. 

It’s found in the wild in Brazil, where it grows at the base of much larger trees. The large leaves help it make the most of all the available sunlight and also mean it can capture as much rain as possible. To keep it happy indoors, try to echo those conditions, with lots of indirect light and sufficient moisture. It will also love you if you give it a feed with liquid fertiliser once per month in spring and summer.

Did you know?

In some parts of the world, the stems, which are poisonous raw, are boiled for a long time to make them edible. We don’t recommend this.