About Ligularia dentata (A.Gray) H.Hara
Ligularia dentata (A.Gray) H.Hara is a robust herbaceous perennial. It grows 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 5 feet) tall and reaches up to 1 meter (3 feet) wide. Its large, dark green leaves are long-stalked, leathery, with a cordate base, and are very rounded, with serrated edges; this trait gives the species its Latin epithet dentata, which means "toothed". Orange-yellow, daisy-like composite flowers grow on thick red, mostly leafless stalks, and bloom above the foliage in early summer.
This species is cultivated as an ornamental plant, valued for both its bold foliage and its flowers. It is used as a round-leaved accent plant or for massed plantings in garden locations with moist soil and full sun or partial shade, and it can also be grown in containers. Common cultivated cultivars include 'Desdemona' and 'Othello'. Selections with cream-colored spotted, polka-dot foliage are also grown.
