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Botanical Latin – Gigantea means exactly what you think it does.

May 15, 2012

Some have an affinity for the tiny sweetness of the diminutive, but I (and my kin) seem to obsess over the monstrous, huge, and gross enormity of the gigantea plants.

A child stands with arms raised in front of a large brick building, showcasing massive green leaves taller than the child, embodying the spirit of "G is for Gigantea" from our Latin Series. A small white dog with black patches and a red collar stands on the sidewalk in front of the child.
Colocasia gigantea, a little girl and a little dog – showing how big gigantea plants can actually be. image from Brian’s Botanicals  (where you can buy a baby Colocasia gigantea!)

While ‘gigantea’ generally means giant, as in really large, it is sometimes used in relation to the regular (so perhaps it is not so large when the regular version is particularly small)—but often gigantea really does mean huge. And that is where things get fun.

I have grown a few gigantea versions of plants. The most notable is Miscanthus gigantea. Normal Miscanthis is perhaps only 6 feet tall – but the gigantea variety is easily two times as much. The stems are less like grass and more like lightweight bamboo. In my garden Like the Colocasia gigantea in the image above and my own homegrown Miscanthus gigantea – which I swear you can watch grow.    I split the giant miscanthus that I got a few years ago into 5 plants this year.   We are all so excited to feel small amongst these towering plumes in the garden.

What’s your taste in extreme sizing?  Do you prefer the tiny or the tremendous?  Feel free to share your favorite.

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  1. Tracy Zeltser says:

    Oh, reminds me of the bamboo we saw at Huntington gardens this spring OMG, I do like the huge because you can see it and enjoy it from a distance – but it is just a huge version of a tiny little corner, which is something that you can have to yourself while sitting and sunning. 🙂 Here’s the bamboo: http://www.tzlandscapedesign.com/2012/05/giant-bamboo-doesnt-take-over.html

  2. Pinto Peanut says:

    Wow!! This baby is so nice. This cute baby is rather attractive then the post. Thank you very much for nice photograph.

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