This is growing in front of the house I just moved into. The garden appears to have been long neglected and then cleaned up, cut back and mulched. Lots of things are re-sprouting, some good, some not so...which one is this? It is currently about 18 inches high. The leaves are shiny and the plant is rhubarb-like in appearance. The stems have a faint pinkish blush and fine hairs.
The plant is Acanthus mollis (bear's breeches). The leaves of Gunnera manicata are much bigger, never shiny and their petioles are covered with stout prickles.
Thanks, its a match! Acanthus mollis sounds like a good thing when kept in check. I looked up Gunnera and couldn't find any pictures that looked quite right - as well as not being shiny, the leaves of my plants seemed more elongated. But it seems like a realy exotic - and it led me a useful list of large-scale perennials. On the whole, though, I am glad that isn't what's growing outside my window! Acanthus mollis sounds like a good thing when kept in check.
