Although sometimes known as the prickly rhubarbs, they are not related to the edible rhubarb grown in gardens and allotments across the UK. However they do posses the ability to wow the non-gardener and connoisseur alike. There are nearly 50 species worldwide, often growing in damp woods, by streams and ponds. Some will produce gargantuan parasols of foliage (we've grouped these as Border forms), others produce the most delightfully delicate ground cover (grouped under Ground cover forms). All foliage is textured and bold, whether large or small. Flowers are curious, but often followed by colourful berries.
Being wind-pollinated gunneras offer little to foraging insects, though the fruits are probably consumed (and dispersed) by birds and the leaves eaten by larvae of some common moths. Forming dense ground-cover, the leaves afford shelter to many invertebrates and amphibians.