Ligularia dentata Othello - Leopard Plant

The Ligularia dentata Othello also known as Summer Senecio or Leopard Plant, is a large variety of ligularia with purple foliage and bright orange flowering on dark stems. This large herbaceous perennial deserves a prominent place in gardens. Its spectacular foliage, cordate, rounded and generous, is particularly dark. It produces in the middle of summer, as if placed above its green and purple foliage pretty bright orange stars resembling daisies. This deciduous perennial, robust and sculptural thrives in a garden with partial shade and gentle sunlight, where it never lacks water. 

The Ligularia dentata is native to China and Japan and belongs to the family Asteraceae. The Othello variety forms a large compact clump of over 1 m (3ft) in height and 70 cm (28in) in width under favorable conditions. Its growth is quite slow. The leaves reach 30 cm (12in) in length and are carried by a long petiole. They are leathery, cordate at the base, very rounded, with serrated edges. The leaves are overall purple, very dark, sometimes dark green. From July to September, large corymbs of bright and warm orange heads, very luminous, with a brown center and a diameter of 7 cm (3in), bloom at the top of tall dark and branched stems. The aerial vegetation, deciduous, emerges from the ground in spring and dries up in autumn.

Plant Ligularia dentata Othello in moist, rich, deep, neutral to acidic soil. This plant cannot tolerate lack of water. It adapts well to clay soils if they are healthy and well amended. Growing vigorously in moist and deep soils, it can cover large areas over time. It pairs well with ferns, loosestrifes, and loosestrifes to decorate the edges of water features, for example. It naturalizes well wherever the soil is constantly moist, protected from the burning rays of the sun. This is a good plant for a shaded area, on the north side of the house.