150 Species in Genus Ligularia

Ligularia: A Gardener’s Delight

The world of plants is vast and diverse, filled with captivating species that possess unique beauty and charm. Among these botanical wonders is the genus Ligularia, a group of hardy perennials that has captured my heart with its bold foliage and vibrant flowers. As an avid gardener, I’ve always been drawn to plants that make a statement, and Ligularia certainly fits the bill.

Native to the moist meadows and woodlands of Asia and Europe, Ligularia is a member of the Asteraceae family, which also includes sunflowers and daisies. The genus name, derived from the Latin word “ligula,” meaning “strap,” refers to the distinctive shape of the ray florets that encircle the central disc flowers. These ray florets often come in shades of yellow, orange, and red, creating a striking contrast against the lush green foliage.

Why I Love Ligularia

What truly sets Ligularia apart is its impressive foliage. The large, deeply-veined leaves can range in shape from heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, and they often exhibit a rich, dark green hue. Some species even boast dramatic purple or bronze tones, adding another layer of visual interest to the garden. The texture of the leaves is equally captivating, with some species featuring a velvety or embossed surface.

But Ligularia is more than just a pretty face. These plants are incredibly hardy and adaptable, thriving in a variety of conditions. They prefer moist, well-drained soil and partial shade, but they can also tolerate full sun if provided with adequate moisture. Once established, Ligularia requires minimal care, making it an ideal choice for busy gardeners like myself.

A Diverse Genus

The genus Ligularia encompasses a fascinating array of species, each with its own unique characteristics:

1. Ligularia achyrotricha (Diels) Y.Ling
2. Ligularia afghanica Pojark.
3. Ligularia alatipes Hand.-Mazz.
4. Ligularia alpigena Pojark.
5. Ligularia altaica DC.
6. Ligularia alticola Vorosch.
7. Ligularia amplexicaulis DC.
8. Ligularia angusta (Nakai) Kitam.
9. Ligularia anoleuca Hand.-Mazz.
10. Ligularia atkinsonii S.W.Liu
11. Ligularia atroviolacea (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
12. Ligularia biceps Kitag.
13. Ligularia botryodes (C.Winkl.) Hand.-Mazz.
14. Ligularia brassicoides Hand.-Mazz.
15. Ligularia caloxantha (Diels) Hand.-Mazz.
16. Ligularia calthifolia Maxim.
17. Ligularia carpathica (Schott, Nyman & Kotschy) Pojark.
18. Ligularia chalybea S.W.Liu
19. Ligularia changiana S.W.Liu ex Y.L.Chen & Z.Yu Li
20. Ligularia chekiangensis Kitam.
21. Ligularia chimiliensis C.C.Chang
22. Ligularia confertiflora C.C.Chang
23. Ligularia cremanthodioides Hand.-Mazz.
24. Ligularia cuneata S.W.Liu & T.N.Ho
25. Ligularia curvisquama Hand.-Mazz.
26. Ligularia cyathiceps Hand.-Mazz.
27. Ligularia cymbulifera (W.W.Sm.) Hand.-Mazz.
28. Ligularia cymosa (Hand.-Mazz.) S.W.Liu
29. Ligularia dalaolingensis W.Q.Fei & L.Wang
30. Ligularia dentata (A.Gray) H.Hara Plant FAQs: Ligularia Dentata
31. Ligularia dictyoneura (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
32. Ligularia discoidea S.W.Liu
33. Ligularia dolichobotrys Diels
34. Ligularia duciformis (C.Winkl.) Hand.-Mazz.
35. Ligularia dux (C.B.Clarke) Y.Ling
36. Ligularia eriocaulis M.Zhang & L.S.Xu
37. Ligularia euryphylla (C.Winkl.) Hand.-Mazz.
38. Ligularia fangiana Hand.-Mazz.
39. Ligularia fargesii (Franch.) Diels
40. Ligularia fauriei (Franch.) Koidz.
41. Ligularia fischeri (Ledeb.) Turcz. Plant FAQs: Ligularia Fischeri
42. Ligularia franchetiana (H.Lév.) Hand.-Mazz.
43. Ligularia ghatsukupa Kitam.
44. Ligularia glauca (L.) O.Hoffm.
45. Ligularia hamiica C.H.An
46. Ligularia heterophylla Rupr.
47. Ligularia hodgsonii Hook.f.
48. Ligularia hookeri (C.B.Clarke) Hand.-Mazz.
49. Ligularia hopeiensis Nakai
50. Ligularia ianthochaeta C.C.Chang
51. Ligularia intermedia Nakai
52. Ligularia jacquemontiana (Decne.) M.A.Rau
53. Ligularia jaluensis Kom.
54. Ligularia jamesii (Hemsl.) Kom.
55. Ligularia japonica (L.f.) Less. ex DC.
56. Ligularia jiajinshanensis Y.S.Chen
57. Ligularia kaialpina Kitam.
58. Ligularia kanaitzensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
59. Ligularia kantingensis S.W.Liu
60. Ligularia kingiana (W.W.Sm.) R.Mathur
61. Ligularia knorringiana Pojark.
62. Ligularia kojimae Kitam.
63. Ligularia konkalingensis Hand.-Mazz.
64. Ligularia kunlunshanica C.H.An
65. Ligularia lamarum (Diels) C.C.Chang
66. Ligularia lancifera (J.R.Drumm.) R.C.Srivast. & C.Jeffrey
67. Ligularia lanipes (Vorosch.) Vyschin
68. Ligularia lankongensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
69. Ligularia lapathifolia (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
70. Ligularia latihastata (W.W.Sm.) Hand.-Mazz.
71. Ligularia latiligulata (R.D.Good) Spring.
72. Ligularia latipes S.W.Liu
73. Ligularia leveillei (Vaniot) Hand.-Mazz.
74. Ligularia lhunzensis Y.S.Chen
75. Ligularia liatroides (C.Winkl.) Hand.-Mazz.
76. Ligularia lidjiangensis Hand.-Mazz.
77. Ligularia limprichtii (Diels) Hand.-Mazz.
78. Ligularia lingiana S.W.Liu
79. Ligularia longifolia Hand.-Mazz.
80. Ligularia longihastata Hand.-Mazz.
81. Ligularia macrodonta Y.Ling
82. Ligularia macrophylla (Ledeb.) DC.
83. Ligularia × maoniushanensis X.Gong & Y.Z.Pan
84. Ligularia melanocephala (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
85. Ligularia melanothyrsa Hand.-Mazz.
86. Ligularia microcardia Hand.-Mazz.
87. Ligularia microcephala Hand.-Mazz.
88. Ligularia mongolica (Turcz.) DC.
89. Ligularia monocephala Long Wang
90. Ligularia mortonii (C.B.Clarke) Hand.-Mazz.
91. Ligularia muliensis Hand.-Mazz.
92. Ligularia myriocephala Y.Ling
93. Ligularia nanchuanica S.W.Liu
94. Ligularia nelumbifolia (Bureau & Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
95. Ligularia nyingchiensis S.W.Liu
96. Ligularia odontomanes Hand.-Mazz.
97. Ligularia oligonema Hand.-Mazz.
98. Ligularia pachycarpa (C.B.Clarke ex Hook.f.) Kitam.
99. Ligularia paradoxa Hand.-Mazz.
100. Ligularia parvifolia C.C.Chang
101. Ligularia pavlovii (Lipsch.) Cretz.
102. Ligularia petiolaris Hand.-Mazz.
103. Ligularia philanthrax Lazkov & Sennikov
104. Ligularia phoenicochaeta (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
105. Ligularia phyllocolea Hand.-Mazz.
106. Ligularia platyglossa (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
107. Ligularia pleurocaulis Hand.-Mazz.
108. Ligularia potaninii (C.Winkl.) Y.Ling
109. Ligularia przewalskii (Maxim.) Diels
110. Ligularia pseudolamarum L.Wang & X.Qiang Guo
111. Ligularia pterodonta C.C.Chang
112. Ligularia pubifolia S.W.Liu
113. Ligularia purdomii (Turrill) Chitt.
114. Ligularia pyrifolia S.W.Liu
115. Ligularia qiaojiaensis Y.S.Chen & H.J.Dong
116. Ligularia retusa DC.
117. Ligularia rockiana Hand.-Mazz.
118. Ligularia ruficoma (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
119. Ligularia rumicifolia (J.R.Drumm.) S.W.Liu
120. Ligularia sachalinensis Nakai
121. Ligularia sagitta (Maxim.) Mattf. ex Rehder & Kobuski
122. Ligularia schmidtii (Maxim.) Makino
123. Ligularia secunda Y.S.Chen
124. Ligularia sibirica (L.) Cass.
125. Ligularia sichotensis Pojark.
126. Ligularia stenocephala (Maxim.) Matsum. & Koidz.
127. Ligularia stenoglossa (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
128. Ligularia subsagittata Pojark.
129. Ligularia subspicata (Bureau & Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
130. Ligularia talassica Pojark.
131. Ligularia tangutorum Pojark.
132. Ligularia tenuicaulis C.C.Chang
133. Ligularia tenuipes (Franch.) Diels
134. Ligularia tongkyukensis Hand.-Mazz.
135. Ligularia tongolensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
136. Ligularia transversifolia Hand.-Mazz.
137. Ligularia trichocephala Pojark.
138. Ligularia tsangchanensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
139. Ligularia tulupanica C.H.An
140. Ligularia veitchiana (Hemsl.) Greenm.
141. Ligularia vellerea (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
142. Ligularia virgaurea (Maxim.) Mattf. ex Rehder & Kobuski
143. Ligularia vorobievii Vorosch.
144. Ligularia wilsoniana (Hemsl.) Greenm.
145. Ligularia xanthotricha (Grüning) Y.Ling
146. Ligularia xinjiangensis Chang Y.Yang & S.L.Keng
147. Ligularia yoshizoeana (Makino) Kitam.
148. Ligularia yunnanensis (Franch.) C.C.Chang
149. Ligularia zhengyiana Xin W.Li, Q.Luo & Q.L.Gan
150. Ligularia zhouquensis W.D.Peng & Z.X.Peng

Ligularia in the Garden

In my own garden, I’ve found that Ligularia pairs beautifully with a variety of other plants. The bold foliage provides a stunning backdrop for delicate ferns and hostas, while the vibrant flowers create a lively contrast with the cool tones of blue and purple perennials. I also enjoy using Ligularia to add height and texture to my borders.

One of my favorite ways to incorporate Ligularia into my garden is by planting it near water features. The moisture-loving nature of these plants makes them a perfect fit for pond edges or stream banks. The large leaves also help to create a sense of tranquility and seclusion, transforming any water feature into a peaceful oasis.

Beyond the Aesthetics

While I primarily appreciate Ligularia for its ornamental value, it’s worth noting that these plants also play an important role in the ecosystem. The flowers provide a valuable source of nectar for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. Additionally, the large leaves offer shelter for small creatures, contributing to the overall biodiversity of the garden.

In conclusion, Ligularia is a genus that offers a wealth of beauty and versatility to any garden. Its bold foliage, vibrant flowers, and hardy nature make it a favorite among gardeners of all levels. Whether you’re looking to add a touch of drama to your borders or create a tranquil oasis around a water feature, Ligularia is sure to impress. As I continue to explore the world of plants, I’m confident that Ligularia will remain a cherished member of my garden for years to come.