Petasites palmatus
| Petasites palmatus | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Winter-Mid Spring |
| Meadows Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Petasites palmatus (common name: sweet butterbur)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe or in early spring. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to dry out. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division succeeds at almost any time of the year. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1], but prefers a deep fertile humus-rich soil that is permanently moist but not stagnant, succeeding in shade, semi-shade or full sun[2]. Requires a moist shady position[3]. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut annually in the autumn[4].
Plants are hardy to about -20°c[3].
A very invasive plant, too rampant for anything other than the wild garden[3][2].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: N. America - Newfoundland to Massachusetts, west to Alaska and south to California.
Habitat: Low woods, glades and damp clearings[5]. Swamps and along the sides of streams[6].
Edibility: Young flower stalks, used before the flower buds appear, are boiled until tender and seasoned with salt[7][8][9].
Flower buds - cooked[9].
Leafstalks - peeled and eaten raw[10][8][9][11].
The ash of the plant is used as a salt substitute[12][13][14][15][9]. To prepare the salt, the stems and leaves are rolled up into balls whilst still green, and after being carefully dried they are placed on top of a very small fire on a rock and burned[16].
Medicinal: The roots have been used in treating the first stages of grippe and consumption[11]. The dried and grated roots have been applied as a dressing on boils, swellings and running sores[11]. An infusion of the crushed roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes[11].
A syrup for treating coughs and lung complaints has been made from the roots of this species combined with mullein(Verbascum sp.) and plum root (Prunus sp.)[11].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Spring
Flower Type: Dioecious
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.