Tacca chantrieri

RHS Plant Profile

cat's whiskers

Other common names

devil flower, bat flower

Herbaceous Perennial Conservatory Greenhouse

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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

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid

Position

Partial shade

Aspect: South–facing or East–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H1B

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Taccaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
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
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: Thailand

How to Grow

Cultivation

In 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

Propagation

Propagate 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

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Patio and container plants

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and tarsonemid mites

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis)