Leopard Plant
Ligularia dentata
- Shade garden
- Pollinator friendly
- Summer bloom
- Bog & waterside
- Deer resistant
A bold, moisture-loving shade perennial grown for big rounded leaves and clusters of orange-yellow daisy flowers on dark stems in late summer.
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Ligularia dentata — leopard plant, also called bigleaf ligularia — is a bold, clump-forming perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae), native to moist mountain woodlands of China and Japan. It is grown as much for its dramatic foliage as its flowers: large, rounded, kidney-shaped leaves form a mound up to 3–4 feet across, often flushed purple beneath.
A late-summer show
In mid- to late summer, tall, near-black flower stems rise above the leaves and open into loose clusters of bright orange-yellow daisy flowers, drawing bees and butterflies. Popular dark-leaved selections like ‘Britt Marie Crawford’ and ‘Othello’ deepen the contrast between the chocolate-purple foliage and the warm flowers.
Care tips
This is a plant for the moist, shady corner. Give it rich soil that never dries out — a pond or stream edge is ideal — and shelter from hot afternoon sun, which makes the big leaves wilt. Water deeply in dry spells, watch for slugs and snails on the lush foliage, and cut it back after frost.
Fun Fact
When afternoon sun is intense, the large leaves droop dramatically — a sight that alarms new gardeners. It's actually a normal water-conservation response: the leaves rehydrate overnight and are fully recovered by morning. No intervention needed.
Habitat & form
Where it's from and what to expect.
- Native range
- China and Japan
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature size
- 3–4 ft tall and 2–4 ft wide.
- Bloom
- Clusters of orange-yellow daisy-like flowers on tall, dark purple stems in mid- to late summer, above large kidney-shaped leaves.
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 4–8.
Care
How to keep it happy.
- Sunlight
- Part shade to full shade. Give it afternoon shade — full sun is fine only where the soil stays reliably wet.
- Water
- Thirsty — keep the soil consistently moist, even boggy. It wilts dramatically in midday heat or dry soil, recovering once watered or as the sun moves off.
- Soil
- Rich, humusy, moisture-retentive soil; tolerates clay and grows happily at a pond or stream edge.
- Pruning
- Maintenance: low. Deadhead spent flower stalks, then cut the foliage back after frost.