# Elephant's Ear (*Macaranga tanarius*)

Elephant's Ear is a big, leafy plant that loves warm places. Its large leaves look like elephant ears, making it fun to spot in gardens and forests!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Tropical forests
- **Also known as:** Elephant Ear Plant, Giant Taro

![Elephant's Ear](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Macaranga_tanarius_Leaves_and_Fruit_1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Tatiana Gerus from Brisbane, Australia, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macaranga_tanarius_Leaves_and_Fruit_1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Elephant's Ear has giant, heart-shaped leaves, often over a meter wide, with the stem attached to the middle. Its vibrant green leaves can have reddish undersides or veins, making it stand out in sunny clearings.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malpighiales
- **Family:** Euphorbiaceae
- **Genus:** Macaranga

## Interesting facts

- Its huge leaves can sometimes be used as natural umbrellas or even plates!
- Some people use its bark and leaves to make traditional medicines.
- The sap from this plant can sometimes be used to make a natural glue.
- This tree is a 'pioneer,' first to sprout in clearings after disturbances.

## Special abilities

- **Ant Home:** Elephant's Ear has stem pockets that shelter ants, helping protect it from plant-eating insects. Teamwork!
- **Sunlight Sprinter:** Elephant's Ear grows fast in sunny clearings, quickly reaching for the best sunlight before other plants can.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 500-1500 cm
- **Spread:** 300-800 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Year-round
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Symbiotic with:** [Ant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ant) (*Crematogaster dohrni*) — ants live in its stems, protecting it from pests.
- **Eats:** Asian Glossy Starling (*Aplonis panayensis*) — birds enjoy its small, fleshy fruits.
- **Eaten by:** Indian Ladybird Beetle (*Epilachna indica*) — herbivorous beetles sometimes munch on its big leaves.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Broadleaf Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/broadleaf-tree): Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always wash your hands after touching plants, just to be safe!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Elephant's Ear?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Elephant's Ear?

500-1500 cm

### How wide does Elephant's Ear spread?

300-800 cm

### How big are the flowers on Elephant's Ear?

0.1-0.3 cm

### When does Elephant's Ear bloom?

Year-round

### Is Elephant's Ear edible?

No

### Is Elephant's Ear toxic?

Mild

### What is Elephant's Ear's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Sweet Memorial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sweet-memorial-park) — Montana, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Elephant's Ear: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/elephants-ear)