leop·ard's bane

(lĕp′ərdz)

Any of several perennial plants of the genus Doronicum in the composite family, native to Eurasia and widely cultivated for their yellow flower heads borne on long stalks. Also called doronicum.

[Translation of Latin pardalianches, a kind of aconite or leopard's bane (said by Pliny the Elder to have been rubbed on meat in the belief that it would cause leopards that ate it to die from asphyxiation), from Greek pardaliankhes : pardalis, leopard + -ankhes, neuter of -ankhēs, strangler, killer (from ankhein, to strangle).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

The name is derived from the Arab term for the plant, doronigi, and its nickname, leopard's bane, refers to its reputed ability to ward off wild animals.

Border doronicums are back in fashion with new gardeners

The long, strong stems make several different kinds of leopard's bane first-class, both for cutting and as border plants, where they mix specially well with the green bracts of euphorbia.

Plant of the week

DORONICUM, or leopard's bane, are among the earliest flowering herbaceous perennials.

GOLDEN BANE OF YOUR LIFE; PIPPA'S PATCH PLANT OF THE WEEK

Best forms include Doronicum x' Harpur Crewe Doronicumpardalianches - also known as great leopard's bane, this has smaller flowers and can become invasive Doronicum carpetanum , is quick to spread into 90cm(3ft) clumps, grows 60cm (2ft) tall.

Plant of the week: leopard's bane

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