Japanese rodgersia is a big-leaved woodland perennial from Japan and Korea. It is not native to the US, where it is grown in gardens for its bold leaves that open bronze, turn green in summer, and redden again in fall. The genus is named for US Navy admiral John Rodgers, who commanded the 1850s expedition on which this plant was discovered.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A clump-forming perennial that can reach about 6.5 ft (2 m) tall and wide, spreading by underground into large patches.
- Leaves
- Huge leaves, usually of five leaflets, each ending in 3–5 jagged points, a shape often compared to a duck's webbed foot.
- Flowers
- Creamy-white flowers in fluffy branched clusters. They have no petals; the showy parts are the .
- Flowering time
- June–July
- Fruit
- Small capsules about 1/5 in (5 mm) long.
Look-alikes
Chinese rodgersiaRodgersia aesculifolia
Look at the leaflets. Chinese rodgersia has more crinkled leaflets with toothed edges, while Japanese rodgersia's leaflets end in 3–5 jagged points like a webbed foot.
Why they get mixed upSeveral rodgersias with large divided leaves are sold for shade gardens.
Where it lives
- Range
- Native to Korea and Japan (Honshu and parts of Hokkaido). In the US it is seen only as a garden plant.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows wild along shady, damp mountain stream valleys. In gardens it wants moist shade, neutral to acidic soil, and a sheltered spot.
Growing it
- Care
- Hardy to about −4 °F (−20 °C). The compact red-leaved cultivar 'Rotlaub' holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
- Propagation
- Spreads mainly by rhizomes; gardeners divide the clumps.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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