Your pictures make it look tempting alright, so I looked it up, never having heard of it before. Wigandia caracasana has one drawback besides being too tender for my location. It seems the foliage is covered with stinging hairs, which limits its popularity. Al

Well,mine has no sting to it. And on the net Al,you can check out Palomar college's plant in soucal and see the instructor who planted one happily posing-and holding-one of the 2' leaves.
I have have heard the California Wigandia is a clone without the stinging hairs of the same plant in Florida or in Central America...I wonder also if our lack of high humidity and hot weather also discourages it from making a potent toxin in the hairs? It's no more irritating then Zuccini leaves. And others besides me will testify my plant is no problem-the electrician and the PGE meter reader!
This plant is in the same family as Canterbury Bells..just a huge subtropical relative.

Stan already knows this, because I've told him, but the Wigandia plants I have in my garden do sting, and so do the original mother plants up at the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden. I've never personally encountered a specimen that didn't have the stinging hairs, and I've seen plenty in habitat in Mexico. That said, I do use the plant in garden designs where I can fit it in. It should also probably be said that this can spread vigorously by the roots, much like a Himalaya Blackberry Vine, so it really isn't for everyone's garden. It may take 2 to 5 years to show these tendencies, but it will eventually start to pop up 5 to 10 feet beyond the original plant.

Well,mine hasnt-and others have said the same thing about theirs. What more can I tell you? Never stung me or anybody else. I think Bahia has very few plants to work with. Or they were from a certain single clone.
I bought mine at UC Berkeley-and its no stinging nettle or poison oak. At all.
David, if you want to test my plant-no problemo. Take a cutting if you like.

It looks like Stan's garden is so tightly planted the Wigandia has been discouraged from vigorous spread. :) Impressive flowers!

Check out the size of the spreading clump up at UC Berkeley to see how vigorously this can spread, it must be about a 100 feet across by now on that slope. I've also seen this in Los Angeles while driving on the freeway, where the Wigandia has escaped and occupies entire canyons on north and east facing oak woodland slopes. Beautiful when in bloom and rather exotic looking, but it can be as invasive as Himalayan Blackberries in locations where it is happy.

Funny-but I DO have the Himalayan blackberries too!..they dont fair well against the that front yard or my shade garden in back. They just get a toehold on the side yard well behind the Wigandia..but some heirloom rose I have and a Senna hold it it check,with some help from me and my pruning shears.
I have brushed up against everything I have over the years..lost count of cacti needle confrotations-lol-Like when you pull a stubborn weed and when it lets go-your arm goes wildly backwards-right into a cactus?.I hate that-lol.
Maybe if you rolled around in Wigandia you might get an itch..but I had an electrician snap off a branch bare handed..I told him of the stinging reputations-he said he never felt a thing. And me neither. Maybe like Zuchini..prickly. But no Nettle sting or those type.
And that suckering? Sounds like a good backup in a major freeze..'cause Wigandia in the bay area are like hens teeth.
Vinca major- THAT'S a plant I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy..or would I ?..hee.