NOTES ON THE DASHEEN AND CHAYOTE 
The Trinidad Dasheen 
The Trinidad dasheen was introduced into the United States from the 
Island of Trinidad, West Indies. Its native home was probably China, 
partly because certain varieties of the taro closely allied to it have been 
found growing in that country and partly because its name appears to be a 
corruption of the French phrase ''de la Chine. ''^ 
The plant is a variety of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, a member of 
the Araceae, and closely related to the common elephant's ear plant of our 
gardens. Its underground parts (fig. 3) consist of a large central corm 
Fig. 2. Mature plant of the Trinidad dasheen, as grown under field culture in Florida. 
weighing from two to four pounds, of spheroidal or broadly fusiform shape 
and reddish brown color, and, in addition, numerous lateral cormels, which 
spring from various nodes along the periphery of the mother or central 
corm. Both mother corm and lateral cormels are marked by the presence 
of numerous rings which represent leaf scars. When the lateral cormels 
are removed, large circular to ovate, light-colored spots are exhibited. The 
total from one hill of these underground portions ranges from 4 to 30 pounds. 
The aboveground parts (figs. 1,2), consist of several petiolate, auriculate, 
peltate, bright green leaves, three feet or more long, and a spadix, which is 
free and terminated by a sterile appendage. 
^ Young, R. A. The dasheen; its uses and culture. Sep. 689, Yearbook U. S. Dept. 
Agr., 1916. 
