Leopard plant
Farfugium japonicum
ツワブキ
Asteraceae
An evergreen native perennial of coastal habitats from
Native Edible Container Wildlife value: medium Maintenance: low perennial
Planting calendar (Tokyo baseline)
Pick a region in the header to shift the window.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | ||||||||||||
| Flowering | ||||||||||||
| Fruiting |
Tokyo baseline: months 3, 4, 10, 11
Growing requirements
| Light | part shade → shade |
|---|---|
| Water | medium |
| Soil | well-drained loam; tolerant of salt spray |
| Hardiness | Tokyo lowland |
| Container | Yes · Min container size: 15 L |
| Maintenance | low |
| Common issues | None |
Where to source
Seedlings, divisions, or seed. Native plant suppliers in Japan are the right starting point.
- Search Japanese suppliers for seedlings · native-plant suppliers
About this native
An evergreen native perennial of coastal habitats from
western Honshū through Okinawa. Distinctive glossy
leathery leaves stay green year-round, even in shade.
Bright-yellow daisy-form heads bloom from late autumn
into early winter — one of the few nectar sources late in
the season. Young petioles are eaten as kyarabuki.
Usage
Shade groundcover, coastal plantings, containers. Reliable
evergreen interest through winter.
Practical info
| Native | Yes |
|---|---|
| Edible | Yes |
| Edible parts | Young petioles (kyarabuki) |
| Wildlife value | medium |
| Attracts |
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Cosine similarity over the attribute vector — plants with comparable light/water/life-form profiles.
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- Japanese Kerria Kerria japonica 75%
Sources
Primary references, publications, and observation data this page draws on. How sources are picked is described in About the data .
- Ministry of Environment — coastal vegetation
- Catalog editor (niwa, 2026-05)