In the Garden: Giant leopard plant has unique naming history
The giant leopard plant (Farfugium japonicum “Gigantea”) is a beautiful, shade garden species that adds unique foliage and color to the understory of a tropical garden. The herbaceous perennial is characterized by its broad, rounded shiny leaves that are 5-18 inches across and rise up from the ground on 3-4 foot stalks.
The plant prefers part to full shade and is known for its yellow daisy-like flowers that branch on long stalks in the late summer. Farfugium is also cold hardy up to Zone 7, making it a good choice for all areas of Florida. The plant does best in organic-rich soil, with medium moisture content. The spreading perennial grows in clumps and can be divided to pass along to friends and fellow gardeners.
The giant leopard plant is native to the streams, meadows and coastal areas of Japan and eastern Asia. The plant has a unique naming history as it was originally named by famed botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707-78), who named it Tusssilago japonica thinking it was the Asian relative of the European coltsfoot that looks very similar.
Roman naturalist and natural philosopher Pliny the Elder coined farfugium as the name for coltsfoot back in the first century. It was rediscovered in the 1800s and given the name Ligularia tussilaginea, but it was not until 1939 that the Botanical Institute at Kyoto University properly described the plant as Farfugium japonicum.
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