Gunnera manicata

Gunnera manicata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Gunnerales
Family:	Gunneraceae
Genus:	Gunnera
Species:	G. manicata
Binomial name
Gunnera manicata Linden

Gunnera manicata, known as Brazilian giant-rhubarb^[1] or giant rhubarb,^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Gunneraceae from Brazil.^[3][4]

It is a large, clump-forming herbaceous perennial growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall by 4 m (13 ft) or more. The leaves of G. manicata grow to an impressive size. Leaves with diameters well in excess of 120 cm (4 ft) are commonplace, with a spread of 3 m × 3 m (10 ft × 10 ft) on a mature plant. The underside of the leaf and the whole stalk have spikes on them. In early summer it bears tiny red-green flowers in conical branched panicles, followed by small, spherical fruit. However, it is primarily cultivated for its massive leaves.^[4]

This plant grows best in damp conditions such as near garden ponds, but dislikes winter cold and wet.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[5]

Despite the common name "giant rhubarb", this plant is not closely related to true rhubarb. It was named after a Norwegian bishop and naturalist Johan Ernst Gunnerus, who also named and published a description about the basking shark.^{[citation needed]}

It is native to the Serra do Mar mountains of Brazil, where it is used in traditional medicine for sexually transmitted diseases.^[6]

References[]

External links[]

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
• Gunnera manicata

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