Taxonomy Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta
Habit Short to medium in height, moderately spreading, stocky, producing 5-10 ‘ohā.
Corm Flesh white with yellowish fibers; cortex cream-colored.
Petiole Fairly rigid, green- and white-striped, often slightly tinged on the lower half with reddish-brown (pink variety?), yellowish-green at apex, pink at edge, white above the base with a pale pink ring at the base (kōhina).
Leaf blade Ovate, fairly firm in texture, slightly concave, green- and white-mottled; margins undulate; piko small, yellowish; lobes acute with very narrow sinus.
Origin Hawaiian variety.
Cultivation Dryland cultivation; maturing in 7-12 months; of little importance because of low yield.
Uses Produces poi of a light gray color.
Comments Displays true variegation, with the amount of white area varying with environmental conditions. Believed to grow wild near the forest near where the ‘Elepaio made its home; others maintain that the variety was planted at dawn when the ‘Elepaio was singing; the splotches on the leaves were also thought to suggest the markings of the ‘Elepaio bird