SimplePlant

Araceae

Coco yam

Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott

Family
Araceae
Genus
Colocasia

Pets and kids

  • CatsMildly toxic
  • DogsMildly toxic
  • KidsMildly toxic
Why

Cats: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to cats (moderate). Toxic principle: insoluble calcium oxalates.

Signs: oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Dogs: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to dogs (moderate). Toxic principle: insoluble calcium oxalates.

Signs: oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Kids: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to young children (moderate). Toxic principle: insoluble calcium oxalates.

Signs: oral irritation and burning, swelling of mouth, lips, and tongue, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Coco yam (Colocasia esculenta)
FlowerPhoto: mfeaver, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Is Coco yam safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Coco yam safe for cats?

No. Our sources call Coco yam mildly toxic to cats (moderate). Toxic principle: insoluble calcium oxalates. Signs: oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Is Coco yam safe for dogs?

No. Our sources call Coco yam mildly toxic to dogs (moderate). Toxic principle: insoluble calcium oxalates. Signs: oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Is Coco yam safe for kids?

No. Our sources call Coco yam mildly toxic to young children (moderate). Toxic principle: insoluble calcium oxalates. Signs: oral irritation and burning, swelling of mouth, lips, and tongue, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Common names

By language (113)
ace
Eumpeuek
acm
قلقاس, القلقاس
Afrikaans
Taro
Akan
Brobe
Amharic
ጎደሬ
Arabic
قلقاس مأكول, آذان الفيل, أبو درقة
arz
قلقاس
Assamese
কচু
ban
Keladi
Bangla
কচু, জংলিকচু, বুনোকচু
Basque
Taro
bdr
Gulai kadi
Belarusian
Таро
Bhojpuri
अरुई
bi
Taro
bik
Natong
bjn
Kaladi
Bulgarian
Таро, Колоказия, Трилистник
Cantonese
芋
Catalan
Taro, Eddoe
Cebuano
Natong, Laing
Chinese
芋, 红芋, 紫芋, 台芋, 野芋, 九头芋, 古夫芋, 台灣青芋
Croatian
Taro
Czech
Kolokázie jedlá, Taro
dag
Bankani
Divehi
އޮޅު އަލަ
dtp
Guol
Dutch
Taro
English
Coco yam, Wild taro, Dasheen, Godere, Kalo, Olhuala, Taro, Eddo
Esperanto
Taro, Manĝebla kolokazio
Filipino
Gabi, Arvi, Taro, Taro root, Ugat ng taro
Finnish
Taaro, Dasheen, Taro
fj
Dalo
French
Colocase, Taro
frr
Taro
Galician
Taro
Georgian
Ტარო
German
Taro, Kolokasie, Wasserbrotwurzel
Greek
Κολοκασία η εδώδιμος
Gujarati
અળવી
Haitian Creole
Chou Karayib
Hausa
Gwaza
Hawaiian
Kalo
Hebrew
קולקס
Hindi
अरबी सब्जी
Hungarian
Taró
Igbo
Ede
Iloko
Aba
Indonesian
Talas
Italian
Taro
Japanese
サトイモ, さといも, 唯芋, 洗芋, 芋の子, 蓑芋, 里芋, 鶴の子芋
Javanese
Tales, Mbothe
Kannada
ಕೆಸು
Kazakh
Таро
kge
Talos
ki
Mũtũma
Kinyarwanda
Amateke
Korean
토란
lah
اروی
Latin
Taro
Latvian
Ēdamā kolokāzija, Kolokāzija, Taro
lfn
Taro
Lithuanian
Valgomoji kolokazija, Taro
lzh
芋
Macedonian
Таро
mad
Tales
Malagasy
Saonjo
Malay
Keladi Cina
Malayalam
താള്
Manipuri
ꯌꯦꯟꯗꯦꯝ
Māori
Taro
Marathi
अळू
min
Kaladi, Bondang
mnc
ᡥᡡᡧᠠᠵᡠ
nan
Ōo-á, Ō͘-á, Ōo, Ōo-thâu, Ō·-á, Ō͘, Ō͘-thâu
Nepali
कच्छु
nia
Talö
Norwegian Bokmål
Taro
Norwegian Nynorsk
Taro
pam
Gandus
Persian
اسکولنتا
Polish
Kolokazja jadalna, Taro
Portuguese
Taro, Inhame dos açores
Punjabi
ਅਰਵੀ
pwn
Vasa
rn
Amateke
Russian
Таро, Дашин, Колоказия древняя, Колоказия съедобная, Эддо
Samoan
Talo
sat
ᱥᱟ.ᱨᱩ
sco
Taro
Serbian
Таро
sg
Langä
Slovenian
Taro
Spanish
Pituca, Madumbe
Sundanese
Kimpul
Swahili
Magimbi
Swedish
Taro
szy
Tali
Tamil
சேம்பு
tay
Cehuy, Sayhuy
tcy
ಚೇವು
Thai
เผือก, บอนห้วย
Tongan
Talo, Xanthosoma sagittifolium
trv
Sari
Turkish
Gölevez
ty
Taro
Ukrainian
Таро, Годере, Дашин, Еддо, Кало, Кокоямс, Колоказія древня, Колоказія їстівна
Urdu
تارو, اروی
Vietnamese
Khoai môn, Khoai sọ
wuu
芋
xmf
Ტარო
za
Biek
Zulu
Amadumbe

Synonyms

  • Alocasia dussii Dammer
  • Alocasia illustris W.Bull
  • Aron colocasium (L.) St.-Lag.
  • Arum chinense L.
  • Arum colocasia L.
  • Arum colocasioides Desf.
  • Arum esculentum L.
  • Arum lividum Salisb.
  • Arum nymphaeifolium (Vent.) Roxb.
  • Arum peltatum Lam.
  • Caladium acre R.Br.
  • Caladium antiquorum (Schott) André
  • Caladium atrovirens André
  • Caladium colocasia (L.) W.Wight
  • Caladium colocasioides (Desf.) Brongn.
  • Caladium divaricatum André
  • Caladium esculentum (L.) Vent.
  • Caladium esculentum unranked bataviensis Hovey
  • Caladium glycyrrhizum Fraser
  • Caladium nigrescens André
  • Caladium nymphaeifolium Vent.
  • Caladium parimaense André
  • Caladium violaceum Desf.
  • Caladium violaceum Engl.
  • Caladium violaceum var. alboviolaceum André
  • Calla gaby Blanco
  • Colocasia acris (R.Br.) Schott
  • Colocasia aegyptiaca Samp.
  • Colocasia antiquorum Schott
  • Colocasia antiquorum f. acuatica Makino
  • Colocasia antiquorum f. eguimo Makino
  • Colocasia antiquorum f. oyasetage Makino
  • Colocasia antiquorum f. purpurea Makino
  • Colocasia antiquorum f. yamamotoi Makino
  • Colocasia antiquorum var. acris (R.Br.) Schott
  • Colocasia antiquorum var. aquatilis (Hassk.) Engl. & K.Krause
  • Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta (L.) Schott
  • Colocasia antiquorum var. euchlora (K.Koch & Linden) Schott
  • Colocasia antiquorum var. globulifera Engl. & K.Krause
  • Colocasia antiquorum var. illustris (W.Bull) Engl.

and 33 more.

Flowers

In flower
August to October (from 93 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Forb/herb
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced

Photos

More in Colocasia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.