Summer Ragwort (Ligularia dentata (A. Gray) H. Hara)
Also classified as Erythrochaete dentata A.Gray, Senecillis dentata (A.Gray) Kitam.
↑Range - Expand
| Legend | Color |
| Introduced |
This map is based on our research. We have checked its accuracy to Level 4 ecoregions. Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.
This species is native to east to southeast Asia and is widely planted in landscaping. FSUS reports it as a Waif in the Maryland Coastal plain, but MBP shows it only farther inland in the Piedmont Uplands and we defer to them as they tend to be most accurate on Maryland matters.
↑Uses
This species is widely planted in landscaping, but we recommend against using it for this purpose. Although it has not widely established in the wild in North America, it has on a few sites and it may have invasive potential, especially if it continues to be planted and new cultivars continue to be developed. The broader grouping that this species belongs to, the Senecioneae, contains a large number of weedy, aggressive plants that can be hard to remove once established.
Its combination of wind-dispersed seeds, high shade tolerance, and moderate overall habitat tolerance may make this species a high risk of becoming invasive.
Although we could not find documented information about whether this species is self-fertile, it may have low self-compatibilty, which means that the reason this species has not yet become invasive in North America is probably solely that it has few cultivars and tends to be planted only in plantings of genetically-identical clones. If different cultivars were to be planted together, it might begin reproducing by seed and spreading aggressively. However, some gardeners have reported this species self-seeding.
↑Links & External Resources
• Ligularia dentata (summer ragwort) | USDA PLANTS Database (About This Site)
• Ligularia dentata (Leopard Plant) | Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (About This Site)
• Ligularia dentata | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)
• Ligularia dentata | NatureServe Explorer (About This Site)
• Ligularia dentata | Flora of North America (About This Site)
• Summer Ragwort | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)
• Ligularia dentata (A.Gray) H.Hara | Plants of the World Online (POWO) (About This Site)
↑Photo gallery
