Ligularia fischeri - East-Asian Ligularia

East-Asian Ligularia is a stout erect and variable perennial herb, with large heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, coarsely toothed leaves up to a foot across. Lower leaves are long-stalked, upper ones with winged sheathing stalks. Flowers are borne in a spike-like cluster at the top of the stem, 27-75 cm long. Proximal leaflike bracts ovate or ovate-lanceshaped, up to 6 x 2 cm, smaller distally, herbaceous, margin toothed, tip mucronate; distal leaflike bracts lanceshaped; flower-cluster-stalks: proximal ones up to 9 cm, smaller distally, slender. Flower-heads are numerous; supplementary bracts narrowly lanceshaped to linear. Involucre bell-shaped, 7-20 x 5-14 mm, outside shortly brown pilose; phyllaries 8-14, in 2 rows, oblong, 3-5 mm wide, tip pointed; inner phyllaries broadly membranous at margin. Ray florets are 5-9, yellow; blade oblong, 1.5-2.5 cm x up to 6 mm wide, tip blunt; tube 5-11 mm. Tubular florets are numerous, 8-17 mm; tube 5-9 mm. Achenes dark brown, spindle-shaped-cylindric, 6-8 mm. Pappus yellowish brown, shorter than tubular flower. East-Asian Ligularia is found in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Bhutan, China and Japan, at altitudes of 2100-3600 m. Flowering: July-August.