About
An erect, rhizomatous herbaceous perennial up to 1m high, with oblong or lance-shaped leaves, 17-55cm long, dark green above and paler beneath, and leafless flowerstalks up to 65cm high topped by green, brown or black bracts surrounding umbels of flowers which have five green petals and dark green, maroon or black thread-like appendages, 25cm long, in summer.
About the genus
Tacca are a genus of flowering plants native to tropical regions such as South America, South East Asia, Africa and Australia. Also known as the 'Bat' plant, because the flowers look similar to a bat in flight, they have lush, green foliage and dark purple to black flowers with whiskery brachts
Growing conditions
SunlightPartial shade
Soil typeLoam
Soil pHAcid
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, East-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH1B
Plant details
Plant typeHerbaceous Perennial, Conservatory Greenhouse
HabitClump forming
FoliageEvergreen
Height0.5-1 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesPatio and container plants
Native toThailand
Care notes
CultivationIn cooler climates, grow in a warm greenhouse (minimum 13ºC) in a mix of equal parts leaf mould and coarse bark, with added slow-release fertilizer, in bright filtered light, water freely all year, and in summer apply a half-strength foliar fertilizer every month, and mist the leaves regularly; pot on every two or three years, removing old, decaying rhizomes; in warmer climates, grow outdoors in fertile, leafy, acidic, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed, sown on the surface at 22-27ºC in spring; by division in spring; or by root cuttings of transverse sections of rhizomes with at least one bud, in spring
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and tarsonemid mites
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis)