Common Name: leopard's bane
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Native Range: Iran, Turkey, North Caucasus, Transcaucasus
Zone: 4 to 9
Height: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Y ellow
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, humusy soils in full sun in the cooler areas of its range, but needs some afternoon shade in hot, humid southern climates. Not reliably winter hardy throughout all of Zone 5, so it is best grown in a protected location with a winter mulch. Shallow roots also benefit from a summer mulch which will help keep them cool.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Doronicum macrophyllum, commonly called leopard's bane, grows to 3' tall and features yellow, daisy-like flowers in terminal clusters in spring. Basal leaves are heart-shaped and upper leaves are elliptic.
Genus name Doronicum comes from the Arabic "doronigi", the Arabic name for plants of this genus.
Specific epithet means large-leaved.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Foliage tends to die back in summer.
Uses
A daisy-like flower that blooms in spring. Consider planting with other spring wildflowers which go dormant in summer or planting near late developing perennials which will fill in the space as the leopard's bane foliage dies back. Rock gardens, woodland gardens, wild gardens.