Giant Rhubarb
(Gunnera tinctoria)
What is it?
Gunnera or Giant Rhubarb or Chilean Rhubarb as it is also known is a large, clump forming herbaceous perennial plant meaning that it lives in excess of two years which grows to up to 2.5 metres in height with large, heart shaped and palmate leaves (having 5 or more lobes attached to a single point) which themselves can reach 2 metres in diameter.
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The large lobed leaves form a dense carpeting of the underlying ground, preventing sunlight from reaching the surface thus shading out other competing, native plants. The Giant Rhubarb then colonises the area gradually taking over, reducing biodiversity and negating the positive impacts of a diverse ecosystem.
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The plant is deciduous meaning it dies back in the Winter and re-emerges early (March) in the Spring. It also develops a large, cone shaped flower in late Spring which then produces large quantities of seed from 80,000 to 250,000 per seed head.
What does it look like?
Giant Rhubarb presents large, lobed leaves up to 2 metres in diameter and from the base of the plant, a large cone type flower will emerge that can reach up to 1 metre in height from early Spring till late Summer. The flowers emerge in June till August and are small and pinkish in colour being replaced with an orange coloured fruit afterwards.
The stems of the leaves can reach approximately 1.5 metres in length and are covered in pale coloured but fragile bristles and small spine like protrusions. From Autumn (October) onwards, the plant will begin to die back and the large brown roots of the plant will be exposed on the surface.