Coal Miner colocasia is a showy member of the arum family originating in southern Asia. Although cultivated for millenia for their edible corms, these days the plants are equally prized for their beauty and variety. Coal Miner has large dusty purplish-green heart-shaped leaves with pale green ribs. The leaves point downwards like a shield, so their full beauty can be appreciated. It grows to four or five feet in height and about three feet in width and requires partial shade to enhance its coloring and consistent moisture to avoid wilting.

Colocasia is not hardy in Chicago and the corms can be lifted in the fall and stored in a cool, dry, dark location and replanted once overnight temperatures are above 60 degrees. Coal Miner has been described as a taller version of Colocasia illustris.