A perennial root plant, often cultivated as an annual.The leaves are shield-shaped, with long and fleshy petioles, green or purplish-red.At the base of the plant, short stems form, gradually accumulating nutrients to develop into fleshy bulbous roots called"taro""or""mother taro".These can be spherical, oval, ellipsoidal, or block-shaped.Each node of the mother taro has a corm eye, but those in the middle and lower parts are most active, initiating first division and forming small bulbous roots called"baby taros".From these baby taros, new ones called"grandchild taros"can develop. Under suitable conditions, they can produce great-grandchildren or even further generations of taros.
