Taro spotted and confirmed growing in Aiea, Oʻahu
iNaturalist: getxoutxthere
Native Plants
Every verified taro sighting logged on Oʻahu helps track where this ancestral Hawaiian staple still thrives outside cultivated loʻi, giving gardeners and cultural practitioners real data on where the plant persists across the island.
Someone out walking in Aiea, Hawaiʻi spotted a taro plant and snapped a photo, which other naturalists then confirmed as a solid identification. Taro isn't just any plant here: it's the root crop behind poi and a cornerstone of Hawaiian culture and agriculture, so knowing exactly where it's growing, wild or escaped from cultivation, matters for people tracking the plant's spread across the islands.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning the identification was confirmed by the community
Location pinpointed to Aiea on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Species confirmed as Colocasia esculenta (taro), a staple crop plant in Hawaiian culture
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist confirmed a verified sighting of taro growing in Aiea, Hawaiʻi, adding another data point to the mapped presence of this culturally vital crop plant in the wild and in cultivation across Oʻahu.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) observed in Oʻahu, Aiea, HI, US
Research-grade observation of Taro in Oʻahu, Aiea, HI, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Rapid disruption of pollination function by the invasive plant Impatiens glan...
That pretty pink-flowered plant spreading along your local riverbank or woodland edge could be quietly starving native wildflowers of the bee visits they nee...
Taro is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in African, Caribbean, Oceanian, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures.