Common name: Ligularia, Leopard Plant, Ragwort
Family: Asteraceae, Aster
Height x width: 3-6' x 3'
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: basal and alternate on stems, cordate to triangular to orbicular, some species on long 2-3' petioles, 8-12" wide, dentately toothed often coarsely
Flowers: yellowish orange corymbose heads or long 1-2' spike-like racemes of yellow, mid to late summer
Hardiness:zones 4-8
Soil: moist, preferably along a stream or pond
Light: sun to filtered shade in north, part shade in south
Pests and problems: foliage scorch (from excess sun and wind and too little moisture)
Landscape habit, uses: specimen or large masses in moist areas or along watersides, cut flower; mounded habit
Other interest: native to China; from Latin ligula for little tongue refering to tongue-shaped ray florets
Other culture: foliage wilts in sun and warm days but revives quickly when cool or cloudy or at night
Propagation: species by seed, cultivars by division (usual method)in early spring or fall
Species:
clivorum:dentata
dentata (den-taa' tah)--Bigleaf Ligularia, zones 4-8, 3-4', bright orange flowers in summer corymbs, native to China, long stalked orb to kidney-shaped leaves to 20" wide, better used for foliage than flowers
x palmatiloba (pal-ma-ti-lobe' ah)--dentata and japonica hybrid, zones 5-8, 3' tall, orbicular to cordate leaves, yellow corymb of flowers in summer
przewalskii (priz-wall' skee-ii)--Shavalzki's Ligularia, zones 4-8, similar to stenocephala only with blacker stems and palmately cut leaves and taller, native to northern China, yellow flower spikes in summer, named after Russian explorer Nicolai Przewalski
stenocephala (stin-o-cef' ah-lah)-- Narrow-spiked Ligularia, zones 4-8, similar to przewalski only shorter and heart-shaped leaves, native to northern China, yellow flower spikes in summer, better used for flowers than foliage, leaves up to 12" across wilt readily on warm, sunny days
tussilaginea:Farfugium japonicum
wilsoniana (will-so-nee-aa' nah)--Giant Groundsel, zones 5-8,
4-6', yellow long raceme in mid to late summer with tubular, hollow petioles,
dark green kidney-shaped (reniform) basal leaves, named for famous plant
explorer in China E.H. Wilson
Cultivars:
| Cultivars | species | flowers | other |
| 'Dark Beauty' | dentata | bright orange | dark leaves |
| 'Desdemona' | dentata | bright orange | leaves dark upper, purple below |
| 'Gregynog Gold' | hybrid | bright orange | dentata x veitchinana, Welsh |
| 'Othello' | dentata | bright orange | smaller flowers, less compact |
| 'The Rocket' | -- | lemon yellow | more compact than species |
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
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