| General Description | A later blooming species with a large open and loose form. Long strap-like, medium green leaves are whorled around the stem and give rise to large clusters of inflorescences. |
| Shape | Upright, multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub, open and loose, broadly spreading, and often forming thickets. |
| Landscape | A nice focal point in a shade garden, use as a screen or the margins of a wood. |
| Propagation | Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, 10 cm in length, insert into a propagator with bottom heat. Seeds should be surface sown on fine peat moss as soon as they are ripe and planted in the spring, germinate between temperatures of 13-16°C. |
| Cultivation | Thrives in part to full shade in acidic, moist well-drained soils. |
| Pests | Crown rot, dieback, aphids, powdery mildew, and leaf scorch. |
| Habitat | Forests in cool, damp bog-like conditions. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Bark is brown with shallow furrows between elongated scales. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Large ovoid flower buds are 1.2 cm pubescent a yellowish-lime green in colour and emerge into a white inflorescence. |
| Leaf Description | R. maximum has large, 10-20 cm long by 4-6 cm wide, dark to medium green leaves, light green to bronze underneath. Leaves are alternately whorled around the stem. The leaf blade is lanceolate to elliptical with entire margins, and a prominent central vein. |
| Flower Description | Monoecious; up to 25 inflorescences are borne in large clusters, each inflorescence measures 2.5-5 cm across and is held up by four leaf-like bracts, five white concave petals are dotted in an olive colour. |
| Fruit Description | Cinnamon brown, dehiscent, elongated pods are 1.3 cm in length and split along five lines to reveal tiny seeds inside. |
| Texture Description | Leaf texture is likened to a leather strap. |
