The Malanga is poisonous for both cats and dogs.
Typical symptoms include excessive drooling, choking, difficulty swallowing, dyspnea, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, oral irritation, and vomiting.
Some species of this plant are widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical and subtropical regions. Colocasia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to southeastern Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Elephant-ear and cocoyam are also used for some other large-leaved genera in the Araceae, notably Xanthosoma and Caladium. The generic name is derived from the ancient Greek word kolokasion, which in the Greek botanist Dioscorides meant the edible roots of both Colocasia esculenta and Nelumbo nucifera. It is thought that the edible roots of Colocasia esculenta have been cultivated in Asia for more than ten thousand years. The species Colocasia esculenta is an invasive species in wetlands along the American Gulf coast, where it threatens to displace native wetland plants.
The scientific name for this plant is Colocasia esculenta. Additional names for this plant include Caladium, Cocoyam, Elephant’s Ears, Tannia, Taro, Tanier, and Yautia.
Image: Istock.com / Byron Obed Sagastume Bran