Cineraria fischeri Ledebour, Index Sem. Horti Dorpat. 1820: 17. 1820; C. speciosa Schrader ex Link; Hoppea speciosa (Schrader ex Link) Reichenbach; Ligularia sibirica (Linnaeus) Cassini var. speciosa (Schrader ex Link) Candolle; L. speciosa (Schrader ex Link) Fischer & C. A. Meyer; ?L. splendens (H. Léveillé & Vaniot) Nakai; Senecillis fischeri (Ledebour) Kitamura; Senecio cacaliifolius Schultz Bipontinus var. speciosus (Schrader ex Link) Franchet; ?S. splendens H. Léveillé & Vaniot.

Stem erect, 80-200 cm tall, 5-10 mm in diam. at base, proximally glabrous or shortly yellowish brown pilose, distally and synflorescence densely shortly yellowish brown pilose. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole 18-59 cm, shortly brown pilose, base sheathed; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially green, reniform, 8-30 × 13-40 cm, abaxially shortly brown pilose, adaxially glabrous, palmately veined, with 5-7 prominent principal veins, margin regularly dentate, apex rounded, sometimes mucronate; sinus ca. 1/3 as long as leaf blade, broad; basal lobes suborbicular, not divergent. Middle to distal stem leaves shortly petiolate; sheath enlarged; leaf blade reniform, 4.5-5.5 × 5-6 cm. Synflorescence racemose, 27-75 cm; proximal leaflike bracts ovate or ovate-lanceolate, to 6 × 2 cm, smaller distally, herbaceous, margin dentate, apex mucronate; distal leaflike bracts lanceolate; peduncles: proximal ones to 9 cm, smaller distally, slender. Capitula numerous; supplementary bracts narrowly lanceolate to linear. Involucre campanulate, 7-20 × 5-14 mm, outside shortly brown pilose; phyllaries 8-14, in 2 rows, oblong, 3-5 mm wide, apex acute; inner phyllaries broadly membranous at margin. Ray florets 5-9, yellow; lamina oblong, 1.5-2.5 cm × to 6 mm wide, apex obtuse; tube 5-11 mm. Tubular florets numerous, 8-17 mm; tube 5-9 mm. Achenes dark brown, fusiform-cylindric, 6-8 mm. Pappus yellowish brown, shorter than tubular corolla. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct, 2n = 60.

One of us (Illarionova) treats Ligularia splendens (syn. Senecio splendens) as a distinct species. Ligularia splendens is similar to L. fischeri but differs in having leaflike bracts ovate around the whole synflorescence and glabrous phyllaries. According to Illarionova, Ligularia fischeri is distributed only in NE China (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Nei Mongol), Mongolia, and Russia (Far East, E Siberia).

Stream banks, swamp meadows, grassy slopes, scrub, forest margins; below 2500 m. Anhui, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Japan, Kashmir, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia (Far East, E Siberia)].