Medium-sized, clump-forming, bushy deciduous perennial (H 50-70 cm, W up to 60 cm). Leaves large, broadly egg-shaped to heart-shaped (15 cm), longitudinaly ribbed, green, later yellow-green in gold-yellow. Flowers in clusters on upright stems, simple (2 cm), grey-white. Flowering period: July. A good ground-covering perennial for shade and semi-shade, needs nutrient-rich and always moist soils.
These plants grow good in partial shade or shade undergrowth, they can tolerate some moderate sunlight as well.
Herbaceous plants are not woody. Their stems are soft, usually remaining green. With some herabceous older stems may harden and look like woody stems (e. g. bamboo).
The plant develops new leaves or needles every spring, which dropp off in autumn. Herbaceous plants can die completely in above ground section and grow back in the spring.
Plant can in otherwise appropriate environment survive cold down to - 23 °C.
Moist soil usually contain morefine clay parts and less sand, more humus and organic materials, they are somewhat heavier, but not hard; water does not run away quickly but stays among soil particles and is long available to plants. There is no stagnant water, soil is airy enough. Drought occurs rarely on such positions. Plants are given more or less permanent, moderate moisture.
Herbaceous, not woody plant. Stems and leaves may be evergreen or deciduous - thus regrowing every spring. Perennials may blossom consecutively for several years. Some perennials develop special underground organs - bulbs, corms or rootstocks and these species are treated separetelly, not with geophyte and tuberous plants.
Leaves or needles of many deciduos plants change colour in autumn before falling mostly to yellow, orange and red shades. Distinctive autumn red or similar colouration may also appear in some evergreen plants, which leaves/needels do not fall off in autumn. Autumn coloration depends on general condition of a plant, maintanance, weather and site. Usually leaves colour more intensely if dry autumn and if differences between day and night temperatures are greater, as well as on dry, sandy soils with less nitrogen. Among grown ornamental plants there are numerous varieties with especially intense or diverse autumn colour than by the basic species.
