Leopard Plant or Evergreen Ligularia. The Japanese have shows in which they exhibit this perennial in the "koten engei" fashion where they are displayed very formally in their exquisite highly decorated porcelain pots. Many cultivars sell in the hundreds of dollars and I have seen several new selections for well over a thousand. For an evergreen herbaceous perennial in the Deep South, this plant is hard to beat. This cultivar is grown for its yellow spotted large round leaves. It has always been a debate as to whether the spots are a virus or genetic. I had a group of plant disease specialist from Clemson University here at the nursery who were so curious that they took samples with them to see if they could determine the answer. A few weeks later one of them called me back to inform me that the sports were not a virus but were actually genetic. So now we know. In October 2 ft. flower spikes begin to emerge which are topped with bright yellow daisies. Grow in shade with good drainage but adequate moisture. This species will also make a great container plant.
Zones 7-10
