Filipendula any of several cultivars....the venusta rubra...Queen of the Prairie is wonderful...likes wet feet but will really put on a show of pink mid summer and reward you with shiny deeply cut leaves the rest of the time.
Linda C

Thanks Linda - the filipendula you suggested does have nice foliage, but I've never seen it described as having dark foliage - just a standard green. I'm looking for something darker like cimicifuga "Black Negligee" or Ligularia "Britt-Marie Crawford"
thanks!

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Crown Jewels,' 'Kopper King,' & 'Plum Crazy' have dark serrated/maple-like foliage.

Great idea entling - I never thought of Hibiscus even though I already have 2 'Lord baltimore' in another location! The cultivar's you mentioned do provide a nice dark leaf. thanks!

Anthriscus sylvestris 'ravenswing' - very dark, finely dissected leaf, full sun, tough as nails.

gottagarden, I had never even seen Anthriscus until you suggested it; the foliage certainly does have the look I'm going for. My only issue is that it is a biennial, and that would violate my "perennial only" policy which is heavily enforced (by me :) ) in my yard.

nah - I've had Anthriscus for 4 years in the same spot and it hasn't died out. That is not a bold leaf though - very fine. Also it doesn't really last well in the heat of summer or toward the end. You might think of some of the smokebushes and keep them pruned hard so the new foliage is dark purple. If you search I think there was a discussion about that a month ago on one of the forums.

Black Mondo Grass might do it, contrasting with a lighter leaf. A small shrub that might interest you is Hypericum Albury Purple - has purple edged foliage, yellow flowers and red berries all at the same time. Mine is in part sun but I'm told the leaves go much darker in full sun. There are also euphorbias like Chameleon that might work.

My anthriscus has also been around for 4 years, does not show signs of going yet. Foliage emerges early to provide background for tulips, looks great through summer, but by late summer and fall is tired.

Black mondo grass just disappears unless you have it in a container.

Red leaved Euphorbia is not a dissected leaf, but very dark and very tough.

Hmm; wonder why it's called a biennial then... I'll have to give it a try!
The Black Mondo Grass that I know about is a small clumping thing (ophiopogon nigrescens); is there a different one with big dark leaves?

Does it have to be a perennial? The cutleaf elders (Black Lace, Black Beauty, etc.) are rather nice. Up to 7ft. tall and wide, though, so maybe too big for what you want?

Chocolate eupatorium has a nice serrated edge, although it isn't quite "cut leaf" like the Black Lace sambucus or the cimicifuga...

What about perennial geraniums such as those in the Purple Pratense family? There's Purple Heron and Hocus Pocus which both have the dark leaves with great character.

Ninebark....though they can grow pretty big