Elephant‑Ear tree share
- Macaranga grandifolia, known as the 'Elephant Ear Tree', was shared as a dramatic tropical specimen for gardens. - Posts focused on its very large leaves and its use in Hawaiian-inspired plantings for bold effect. - Toptropicals highlighted the species and display tips on X this week for designers and collectors (x.com).
A tropical plant account this week put Macaranga grandifolia, the Elephant Ear Tree, back in front of gardeners as a foliage specimen built around leaves up to 1 to 2 feet wide. (toptropicals.com) Top Tropicals described the species as a compact tree with “grand, leathery leaves” and listed it for warm-climate gardens and greenhouse collections. Its plant encyclopedia entry places it in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, and gives USDA zones of 9 to 11. (toptropicals.com) The nursery says Macaranga grandifolia grows fast, can reach a mature size in 2 to 3 years, and can be kept for years in a 10- to 15-gallon pot. A specimen profile from the same seller says potted plants can reach about 6 to 7 feet tall. (toptropicals.com, toptropicals.com) That helps explain why the tree keeps showing up in tropical-style planting schemes: designers get oversized round leaves without needing a full-sized shade tree. Top Tropicals says the plant works in sun-and-shade mixes and is used for a strong “tropical look.” (toptropicals.com, toptropicals.com) The species is native to the Philippines, and several references also place it in nearby parts of Southeast Asia and the western Pacific. Common names in circulation include Elephant Ear Tree, Nasturtium Tree, Parasol Leaf Tree and Bingabing. (toptropicals.com, monaconatureencyclopedia.com) In Hawaii, that ornamental appeal sits alongside weed-risk concerns. The Hawaii Invasive Species Council says bingabing, listed there as Macaranga mappa, has a Hawaiʻi-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment score of 12, labeled “High Risk,” and describes it as a small tree with huge umbrella-like leaves growing 15 to 30 feet tall. (dlnr.hawaii.gov) The Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk database tracks Macaranga among plant species considered threats or potential threats in Pacific ecosystems. That means gardeners and collectors often have to balance the plant’s visual impact against local invasive-species guidance. (hear.org) For collectors, the appeal is still the same one driving the latest share: a relatively compact tropical tree that looks outsized because the leaves do most of the work. In garden terms, Macaranga grandifolia is less about flowers than about scale. (toptropicals.com, toptropicals.com)
