Taro

Taro (Colocasia macrorhiza, or Arum esculentum), a plant of the natural order Araceæ, of the same genus with the Coco (q.v.) or Eddoes, and cultivated for its roots, which are a principal article of food in the South Sea Islands. They are washed to take away their acridity, and cooked in the same way as bread-fruit; they may also be boiled or made into pudding. A pleasant flour is made of taro. The plant has no stalk; broad, heart-shaped leaves spring from the root; and the flower is produced in a spathe. The leaves are used as spinach. See HAWAII.