BRAZILIAN GIANT RHUBARB
PRICKLY RHUBARB
Gunnera manicata
Giant Rhubarb [Gunneraceae] 
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Giant Rhubarb [Gunneraceae]
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| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
| Taller than Chilean Giant Rhubarb and with broader leaves, up to 2m across. Leaves are palmate with about a dozen toothed lobes. |
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| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
Leaves similar to those of Rhubard(to which it is not related) but much larger. |
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| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
| Several stout leaf-stalks emerge from near the centre, with one or two thinner flowering stalks (the greenish bottle-brush behind). The reddish pink mass in the centre are the beginings of next-years shoots. |
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| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
| The stems may be reddish, and also the tips of the short spines (un-like those of Chilean Giant Rhubarb. |
_2008_09_14_TattonPk_Cheshire_MartinRosenfield_018o01.jpg)
| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
The central pinkish mass consists of hundreds of fine multiply-branched feather-like' growths not un-like Robin's Pincussion(but much larger). |
| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
| The flowering stalks are thinner than those of Chilean Giant Rhubarb and the greenish projections longer and less closely packed. |
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| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
| The flowers are a maroonish red, now gone, replaced by the small orange seeds, most of which have fallen off. |
_2008_09_14_TattonPk_Cheshire_MartinRosenfield_018p08.jpg)
| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
Flowering branches curved and reminiscent of those of Perennial Glasswortor Cacti. Flowering stem has smaller 'prickles' than the leaf stem next to it. |
_2008_09_14_TattonPk_Cheshire_MartinRosenfield_016p74.jpg)
| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
| The small orange spheres are seeds. |
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| 14th Sept 2008, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. | Photo: © Martin Rosenfield |
The prickles are stiffer than those of Chilean Giant Rhubarb and point the opposite way (downwards rather than upwards). They are short and stubby, but otherwise of a similar shape to Rosethorns. The thorns are supposed to be reddish-tipped on Brazilian Giant Rhubarb only, but here apparently not. |
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Not to be semantically confused with : Rhubarb [a plant with similar name] Easily mistaken for : Chilean Giant Rhubarb (the differences being noted in the photo captions). The leaves bear some some similarities to those of : Butterbur, but are far larger. It is native to Brazil, but is grown in the UK as a garden plant, mainly for big gardens such as parks, in which setting you are much more likely to see it. When planted in the UK, it does spread a little, but does not behave rampantly like it does in its native country, where it is in places out of control! Little else can take root under the darkness cast by its enormous leaves. ANY TEXT GOES HERE |
 Gunnera (Giant-Rhubarbs) |
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Giant Rhubarb [Gunneraceae]
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