Higher classification Doronicum | Scientific name Doronicum orientale Rank Species | |
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Similar Doronicum, Daisy family, Great false leopardbane, Euphorbia epithymoides, Dicentra formosa | ||
Doronicum orientale
Doronicum orientale (Leopard's Bane) is a European plant species in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).
Contents
Description
D. orientale has daisy-like yellow flower heads on long, straight stems, which attract nectar-eating insects. The plants grow to approximately 2 feet (60 cm) tall.
Etymology
The specific epithet "orientale," meaning "eastern" is in reference to eastern Europe, not eastern Asia.
Distribution
It is native to southeastern Europe (Italy, Greece, the Balkans, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, southern European Russia) and parts of southwest Asia (Turkey, South Caucasus).
Cultivation
D. orientale is widely cultivated as an ornamental. There are a few reports of the species having escaped cultivation and been found growing wild in parts of Canada, but the plant apparently failed to become established there. D. orientale is a hardy (to zone 3) perennial, blooming in early spring. Likes both shade and sun. Cultivars include 'Little Leo', which is semi-double.
Toxicity
All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans.
