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Elephant's ears (Bergenia)
Elephant's ears are clump-forming perennials with large, leathery leaves. They are commonly grown by gardeners due to their interesting foliage and copious flowering. The leaves are thought to resemble elephant ears, hence the common name Elephant's ears. Some plants belonging to the elephant's ears genus are known to have significant amounts of tannins, which is why cobblers used to use their roots to tan leather. 
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
Key Facts About Elephant's ears
Feedback
Attributes of Elephant's ears
Plant Height
60 cm
Spread
60 cm
Leaf type
Evergreen
Ideal Temperature
20 - 38 ℃
Scientific Classification of Elephant's ears
How to Grow and Care for Elephant's ears
Feedback
Elephant's ears, a hardy perennial, has relatively straightforward care needs. It requires moderate levels of sunlight and prefers well-drained, fertile soils, Hardy in cooler temperatures, its water demands are minimal and are generally higher during drier periods. Common challenges include pests like vine weevils and diseases such as leaf spot and rust. Seasonally, in spring the plant blossoms and needs dead leaves removed, while in winter it showcases colorful leaves but requires protection from extreme cold.
How to Water Elephant's ears?
What Are the Sunlight Requirements for Elephant's ears?
How to Propagate Elephant's ears?
How to Plant Elephant's ears?
Exploring the Elephant's ears Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Heartleaf bergenia
Heartleaf bergenia (Bergenia crassifolia) is a plant species that is tolerant to cold and warm climates. This species has leaves that change color and range from rust brown to brown-red. Heartleaf bergenia leaves are used to make tea in Siberia. Its latin name Bergenia crassifolia means "thick-leaved."
Purple bergenia
Purple bergenia (Bergenia purpurascens) is an evergreen perennial that blooms from late spring to early summer and then again in the fall. Purple bergenia flowers are fragrant and vary in color from pink to purple to bright magenta red. This plant spreads slowly and provides colorful ground cover.
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby' is a unique plant with bright pink flowers and distinctive red foliage. It is a cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, which typically has green foliage all year long. It is named for both its brilliant color and the Bressingham Gardens, in Norfolk, England, where it was cultivated.
Bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen'
Named for its icy greenish-white flowers, bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen' is a clump-forming bergenia with dark green foliage and bell-shaped flowers that bloom in the spring. While the parent plant and its other varieties have white or pale pink flowers, this cultivar stands out for its petals' unique greenish tint.
Elephant's ears 'Overture'
Elephant's ears 'Overture' differs from its Bergenia parent because it has bright magenta flowers in contrast to the parent's more subdued dark pink flowers. This hybrid is named for the orchestral introduction to a dramatic musical work. The plant has dual garden appeal because of its bright flowers and its evergreen leaves which are glossy green through most of the year but redden in winter.
Elephant's ears 'Winter Glow'
Elephant's ears 'Winter Glow' is distinct for its magenta flowers and its colorful seasonal foliage, which ranges from deep green in spring to reddish-bronze in winter. A cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, it derives its common name from its winter foliage and its Latin name from botanist Karl August von Bergen. The plant serves well as a colorful border and provides year-round interest.
Elephant's ears 'Sakura'
Elephant's ears 'Sakura' is distinct for its bright pink, semi-double flowers. A cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, its name refers to the Japanese word for “cherry blossom,” which its flowers resemble. Gardeners love this plant for the year-round interest it provides, displaying lovely flowers in spring and leathery green leaves that turn deep purple in autumn and winter.
Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll'
Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll' is a variety of Bergenia × spathulata, which is a hybrid that is the result of Bergenia ciliata and Bergenia stracheyi. This hybrid is known for its neat foliage and funnel flowers. Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll' has these characteristics but stands out for its baby pink flowers (hence the name) which only deepen in color with age. It was named after botanist Karl August von Bergen.
All Species of Elephant's ears
Heartleaf bergenia
Heartleaf bergenia
Heartleaf bergenia (Bergenia crassifolia) is a plant species that is tolerant to cold and warm climates. This species has leaves that change color and range from rust brown to brown-red. Heartleaf bergenia leaves are used to make tea in Siberia. Its latin name Bergenia crassifolia means "thick-leaved."
Purple bergenia
Purple bergenia
Purple bergenia (Bergenia purpurascens) is an evergreen perennial that blooms from late spring to early summer and then again in the fall. Purple bergenia flowers are fragrant and vary in color from pink to purple to bright magenta red. This plant spreads slowly and provides colorful ground cover.
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby' is a unique plant with bright pink flowers and distinctive red foliage. It is a cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, which typically has green foliage all year long. It is named for both its brilliant color and the Bressingham Gardens, in Norfolk, England, where it was cultivated.
Bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen'
Bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen'
Named for its icy greenish-white flowers, bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen' is a clump-forming bergenia with dark green foliage and bell-shaped flowers that bloom in the spring. While the parent plant and its other varieties have white or pale pink flowers, this cultivar stands out for its petals' unique greenish tint.
Elephant's ears 'Overture'
Elephant's ears 'Overture'
Elephant's ears 'Overture' differs from its Bergenia parent because it has bright magenta flowers in contrast to the parent's more subdued dark pink flowers. This hybrid is named for the orchestral introduction to a dramatic musical work. The plant has dual garden appeal because of its bright flowers and its evergreen leaves which are glossy green through most of the year but redden in winter.
Elephant's ears 'Winter Glow'
Elephant's ears 'Winter Glow'
Elephant's ears 'Winter Glow' is distinct for its magenta flowers and its colorful seasonal foliage, which ranges from deep green in spring to reddish-bronze in winter. A cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, it derives its common name from its winter foliage and its Latin name from botanist Karl August von Bergen. The plant serves well as a colorful border and provides year-round interest.
Elephant's ears 'Sakura'
Elephant's ears 'Sakura'
Elephant's ears 'Sakura' is distinct for its bright pink, semi-double flowers. A cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, its name refers to the Japanese word for “cherry blossom,” which its flowers resemble. Gardeners love this plant for the year-round interest it provides, displaying lovely flowers in spring and leathery green leaves that turn deep purple in autumn and winter.
Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll'
Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll'
Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll' is a variety of Bergenia × spathulata, which is a hybrid that is the result of Bergenia ciliata and Bergenia stracheyi. This hybrid is known for its neat foliage and funnel flowers. Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll' has these characteristics but stands out for its baby pink flowers (hence the name) which only deepen in color with age. It was named after botanist Karl August von Bergen.
Elephant's ears 'Purpurea'
Elephant's ears 'Purpurea'
The elephant's ears 'Purpurea' has big round evergreen leaves and a compact, quick-spreading habit that forms clumps. Its Latin name 'Purpurea' means purple in Latin, reflecting its green foliage that turns purple in winter.
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling'
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling'
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling' is unique due to its deep pink flowers and leathery green leaves that transition into a chocolate color in the winter. This cultivar is compact and is noted for producing an abundance of flowers at a uniform height, which develop in mid to late spring, hence its celebratory name.
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling'
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling'
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling' is a resilient herbaceous perennial known for its lush, rounded, leathery leaves that form a low-growing clump. In early to mid-spring, it produces striking pink blossoms on thick stems that rise above the foliage. This variety thrives in partly shaded gardens, often accentuating woodland settings where it prefers moist, well-drained soils.
Elephant's ears 'Eroica'
Elephant's ears 'Eroica'
Considered one of the most striking bergenias, elephant's ears 'Eroica' is a winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit and produces an abundance of vivid purple-pink blooms. Hybridized from other Bergenia varieties, this cultivar was named after the Italian word for "heroic" due to its bright and bold nature. Elephant's ears 'Eroica' is prestigiously popular for its pretty and prolific blooms, extreme hardiness and resistances, and attractive evergreen foliage.
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham White'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham White'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham White' is a robust, semi-evergreen perennial prized for its large, leathery leaves that transition from deep green to bronze in colder months. Clusters of pure white bell-shaped flowers rise on stout stems in spring, attracting pollinators to shaded garden spots. Elephant's ears 'Bressingham White' thrives in moist, well-drained soil, displaying endurance in partial sun to full shade, embodying an elegant ground cover or border specimen.
Elephant's ears 'Flirt'
Elephant's ears 'Flirt'
Elephant's ears 'Flirt' is an evergreen perennial bergenia noted for its compact habit and floriferous blooms. In fact, a one-year-old plant can have up to thirty flower spikes in the spring! The flowers are certainly a flirtatious color of rose pink, which is how this cultivar gets its name.
Elephant's ears 'Abendglut'
Elephant's ears 'Abendglut'
Elephant's ears 'Abendglut'' is a colorful variety of Elephant's ears. The foliage is mostly green with red undersides and may become even more tinted red throughout autumn and winter. The stems are also red and hold up semi-double bell-shaped flowers of vibrant pink. These flowers bloom later than other varieties in the genus, blooming in mid to late spring instead of early spring. It is one of the taller Elephant's ears varieties, growing to about 50 cm. With so many shades of an evening sky, it is no wonder it is named 'Abendglut,' which is German for 'evening glow.'
Elephant's ears 'Pink Dragonfly'
Elephant's ears 'Pink Dragonfly'
Elephant's ears 'Pink Dragonfly' is an evergreen perennial and cultivar of Bergenia that is named for its pink flowers. It’s not just the flowers that are striking; the foliage of this plant starts dark green and softens into a brown-red later in the year. This trait is highly desirable for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance plant that adds color and interest to a garden year-round.
Elephant's ears 'Rotblum'
Elephant's ears 'Rotblum'
Elephant's ears 'Rotblum' is certainly a beautiful evergreen with reddish-pink flowers and foliage that turns burgundy in the fall. It is a cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, which normally has lighter pink flowers and foliage that turns purplish in winter, not burgundy or red. 'Rotblum' translates to 'red beauty,' which is the perfect way to describe this cultivar.
Elephant's ears 'Morgenrote'
Elephant's ears 'Morgenrote'
Elephant's ears 'Morgenrote' has deep pink flowers that are evocative of the sunrise and inspired the variety's name. "Morgenrote" translates to "sunrise" or "morning light" in English. The flowers grow from red stems amid dark green leaves. Elephant's ears 'Morgenrote' is a clump-forming variety of elephant's ears.
Bergenia ciliata
Bergenia ciliata
Bergenia ciliata features broad, rounded leaves with hairy undersides, giving them a soft texture. These leaves form a dense rosette at the base. In spring, bergenia ciliata produces pink to red blossoms arranged in robust, eye-catching clusters atop thick stalks, rising well above the foliage. It thrives in rocky, mountainous regions, adapting to cold climates, yet favors well-drained, moist soil.
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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About
Key Facts
How To Care
All Species
More Genus
Elephant's ears
Bergenia
Elephant's ears are clump-forming perennials with large, leathery leaves. They are commonly grown by gardeners due to their interesting foliage and copious flowering. The leaves are thought to resemble elephant ears, hence the common name Elephant's ears. Some plants belonging to the elephant's ears genus are known to have significant amounts of tannins, which is why cobblers used to use their roots to tan leather.
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
Key Facts About Elephant's ears
Feedback
Attributes of Elephant's ears
Plant Height
60 cm
Spread
60 cm
Leaf type
Evergreen
Ideal Temperature
20 - 38 ℃
Scientific Classification of Elephant's ears
How to Grow and Care for Elephant's ears
Feedback
Elephant's ears, a hardy perennial, has relatively straightforward care needs. It requires moderate levels of sunlight and prefers well-drained, fertile soils, Hardy in cooler temperatures, its water demands are minimal and are generally higher during drier periods. Common challenges include pests like vine weevils and diseases such as leaf spot and rust. Seasonally, in spring the plant blossoms and needs dead leaves removed, while in winter it showcases colorful leaves but requires protection from extreme cold.
How to Water Elephant's ears?
What Are the Sunlight Requirements for Elephant's ears?
How to Propagate Elephant's ears?
How to Plant Elephant's ears?
Exploring the Elephant's ears Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Heartleaf bergenia
Heartleaf bergenia (Bergenia crassifolia) is a plant species that is tolerant to cold and warm climates. This species has leaves that change color and range from rust brown to brown-red. Heartleaf bergenia leaves are used to make tea in Siberia. Its latin name Bergenia crassifolia means "thick-leaved."
Purple bergenia
Purple bergenia (Bergenia purpurascens) is an evergreen perennial that blooms from late spring to early summer and then again in the fall. Purple bergenia flowers are fragrant and vary in color from pink to purple to bright magenta red. This plant spreads slowly and provides colorful ground cover.
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby' is a unique plant with bright pink flowers and distinctive red foliage. It is a cultivar of Bergenia cordifolia, which typically has green foliage all year long. It is named for both its brilliant color and the Bressingham Gardens, in Norfolk, England, where it was cultivated.
Bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen'
Named for its icy greenish-white flowers, bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen' is a clump-forming bergenia with dark green foliage and bell-shaped flowers that bloom in the spring. While the parent plant and its other varieties have white or pale pink flowers, this cultivar stands out for its petals' unique greenish tint.
Show More Species
All Species of Elephant's ears
Heartleaf bergenia
Purple bergenia
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham Ruby'
Bergenia stracheyi 'Ice Queen'
Elephant's ears 'Overture'
Elephant's ears 'Winter Glow'
Elephant's ears 'Sakura'
Elephant's ears 'Baby Doll'
Elephant's ears 'Purpurea'
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling'
Elephant's ears 'Spring Fling'
Elephant's ears 'Eroica'
Elephant's ears 'Bressingham White'
Elephant's ears 'Flirt'
Elephant's ears 'Abendglut'
Elephant's ears 'Pink Dragonfly'
Elephant's ears 'Rotblum'
Elephant's ears 'Morgenrote'
Bergenia ciliata
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
