Farfugium

A small genus of lush, bold, groundcover plants for the moist, shaded garden.

Farfugium japonica ( Leopard Plant )
A perennial, forming a clump up to 1.5 x 3.5 feet, that is native to coastal cliffs of Korea and Japan. Moderate growing, it spreads by rhizomes.
The basal leaves, are rounded to kidney-shaped and large, up to 12 inches across.
The foliage is glossy gray-green to deep green. The leaves are borne on tall, woolly white leaf stems. The foliage is evergreen in zone 8, usually deciduous in zone 6b and 7. The foliage mixes well with Astilbes and Ferns and it makes an excellent groundcover.
The daisy-like flowers, up to 2 inches across, are borne in clusters of 6 to 14 on branched flower stalks, up to 3.5 feet high, during early to late autumn.
Hardy zones 6b to 9 on cool, fertile, moist, well drained soil in shade. Too much fertilizer can burn the foliage so only fertilize in frequent but light doses if speeding up growth is desired. Proapagation can either be from seed or division during autumn or very early spring.
Some cultivars will frequently come true from seed, though more often revert to all green.

* historic archive photo

'Aureomaculata' ( Leopard Ligularia )
Also called 'Kimon'. Forms a clump, up to 2 x 3 feet, with glossy leaves, up to 6 inches across, that are green spotted yellow. Foliage is very tropical looking.

* photo taken on June 23 2013 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photo taken on Apr 24 2016 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photo taken on May 27 2017 @ Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA

* photo taken on Sep 3 2017 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.

'Cristata' ( Parsley Ligularia )
Reaches up to 2 x 3 feet with very crispy, ruffled, velevety, gray-green foliage.

* photo taken on Aug 23 2014 @ U.S. Botanical Garden, Wash., DC

'Gigantea'
A specatacular tall groundcover for wet shady sites, forming a clump up to 3.5 feet across. The extremely glossy, leathery leaves are large, up to 2 feet across.
An excellent plant, equal to superior to large leaf Hostas in partial to full shade on moist soil. Very heat tolerant in the Deep South.

* photos taken on May 16 2010 @ Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore, MD



'Izumo Chiriman'
Foliage is green with irregular patches of cream and white.

* photo taken on April 11 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum

* photo taken on May 1 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.