Our plants are burgundy-stemmed.

We grow a burgundy-stemmed Colocasia esculenta. Sometimes referred to as Colocasia esculenta burgundy-stemmed. Burgundy-stemmed is a descriptor, used in the horticultural trade to indicate its colourful characteristics. Descriptors are useful, but do not have the status of cultivar, variety or forma. Where you see them in lists, they follow the formal plant name, and are in Roman font, all lower case. They may be separated from the formal name by a dash or comma, for clarity.

Colocasia esculenta is widely cultivated throughout Africa as Taro or Coco-yam, as a major carbohydrate foodstuff. Prolonged boiling is needed to make it safe to eat. See Toxicity.

The main toxin is calcium oxalate, present as needle-like raphides inside specialised cells throughout the plant, called idioblasts, which when chewed fire the needles into the tongue, gums and throat of the eater. The needles cause thousands of micro-wounds, probably also introduce oxalic acid into damaged tissues, and additionally cause massive histamine release and cause extreme pain and swelling. Prolonged boiling largely destroys the property of the raphides and the calcium oxalate and oxalic acid remaining in the plant cells has no toxicity. There is a seasonal variation in toxicity; toxicity is highest at the end of the dry season (December) and lowest in February. Used as an arrow poison in Gabon with Strophanthus gratus, and by the Dajak in South eastern Borneo mixed with Antiaris toxicara. Colocasia indica is used as a blowpipe poison by the Semak in Perak, Malaysia. The aqueous extract causes paralysis in frogs. Also contains toxic saponine in the tubers which causes in vitro hameolysis in dilution of 1:20,000. Ingested causes multiorgan degeneration.