Tacca integrifolia

Also Known As

Devil's Whiskers
White Bat Plant

Plant type

perennial, bulb / corm / tuber

size

H: 4'-6'
W: 2'-3'

planting zones

9b-11

More Options

Tacca integrifolia plant details

Tacca integrifolia is a broadleaf deciduous perennial bulb / corm / tuber with green foliage. In summer purple and white flowers emerge. Grows well with mostly shade - shade and regular water. Does well in average and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something verticillium wilt resistant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Tacca integrifolia

Plant type: perennial bulb / corm / tuber
Plant family: dioscoreaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 2 FT - 3 FT - wide, 4 FT - 6 FT - tall
Flowers: purple and white blooms in summer
Uses: container plant, long-blooming, tropical-looking, unique

GROWING CONDITIONS for Tacca integrifolia

USDA Zones: 9b - 11
Sun exposure: mostly shade - shade
Watering frequency: regular
Resistant to: verticillium wilt
Soil needs: average and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Tacca integrifolia is perhaps the most impressive of all the bat plants. Known as white bat plant, this monster can reach a height of over 1.75 m tall. The white flower bracts with purple lines can measure 30 cm across. The most amazing part is the many whiskers which can be more than one metre long! No wonder it’s called the devil’s whiskers. A must have for those who love the botanically intriguing and have a bit of space to overwinter indoors. Bat plants must have high humidity at all times otherwise their foliage can dry at the edges. They also love heat.

By: Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd.

Genus Tacca consists of long-lived, short stemmed, rhizomatous or tuberous herbaceous plants. All but one species occur in Asia. Four species of Asian Tacca have attractive, entire leaves, vertical growth habit, and strange whisker-like (filiform) bracts below the flowers that can hang down for as much as 1 foot in length. It is these structures and their accompanying cluster of luridly colored flowers that has given rise to the sobriquet "batflower" for these marvelous tropical plants. Cloaking the flowers from above are several broad and showy bracts, expanding like bat wings.

By: Florida Hill Nursery

White Bat Flower has the largest flowers of all Taccas. Each flower is about 5-8" across and has long tendrils that hang from it. Once the plant is mature, flowers will bloom successively for months. Taccas have large, beautiful foliage and prefer to be grown in low light with good air circulation. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. They can be grown successfully indoors and need conditions similar to a Phalaenopsis orchid or a Spathophyllum (Peace lily). Originating in Southeast Asia, White Bat Flower is one of the most tropical and exotic plants we grow.