Leopard Plant

Farfugium japonicum is native to the moist meadows and riverbanks of Japan and other East Asia (China and Korea). This species is often planted by the community as an ornamental plant, ground cover plant, plant for cut flowers. It is generally taken from nature for local use as food and medicine. The stems and leaves can be consumed as an addition to salads, soups, and others. As a medicinal plant, Farfugium japonicum has also been used in traditional medicine and edible herbs in China and Korea. In Korea, this plant is used as an antipyretic. Recently, the essential oil of this plant has been found to have several functions including antioxidant and antimicrobial effects.

No found data on this. Need further research.

Found growing in forests, valleys and grasses in lowlands, rocky cliffs near the coast, grassy slopes, and in very humid places. Farfugium japonicum is not a very cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate short periods with temperatures falling to around -5 to -10°c. Prefers a deep moist fertile humus-rich soil. Succeeds in quite dense shade. Requires a sheltered position. Plants often wilt on bright sunny days if they are growing in a sunny position.

• Rhizomes - sturdy, up to 1.2 cm in diameter.
• Stems - soft, green.
• Leaves - single, large, shiny, thick, leaf tip rounded, leaf base curved or reniform (kidney shape, short and wide, like hibiscus leaves) and less wide, leaf edge wavy, toothed or palmate lobe, dark green, leaf veins fingering, rough leaf texture. Young leaves are covered with gray-brown hairs on both surfaces, then glabrous. The petiole is long, densely pubescent when young, glabrous, the base of the midrib is short and hairy inside the midrib.
• Flowers - yellow with a shape like daisies (ligulate). Has 8-12 bands (ligulate), yellow, ligulate oval or oval blade, apex rounded or pointed. Dense pubescence, yellowish when young, more or less glabrous, very densed pubescent at base. Caudate at the base. The inflorescence heads are spreading, 2-7, arranged in corymbiform petioles and hairy. Involucral bracts are campanulate, tapered ends (acuminate), inner edge brown.
• Fruits - cylindrical in shape, up to about 7 mm in length, longitudinally ribbed and covered with rows of short hairs.

Propagated by seeds - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Essential oil (1-undecene, 1-nonene, b-caryophyllene, a-copaene, g-curcumene, germacrene D, 1-decene), trichloroic acid (dimethacrylic acid).

• The leaves are antidote. They are taken internally to treat fish poisoning and externally to treat lacquer poisoning (caused by Toxicodendron species). They are also applied to suppurating abscesses and pox.
• Treats coughs, wound healing, bronchitis, diarrhea, irregular menstruation, bruising and mastitis.
• Has activity as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antipyretic.