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Common Name: Sweet Butterbur

General Information

Petasites palmatus is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.40 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

N. America - Newfoundland to Massachusetts, west to Alaska and south to California.

Habitat

Low woods, glades and damp clearings[]. Moist disturbed areas, stream banks, fens, swamps, roadside ditches and embankments, logging roads, moist forest soils from 10 - 1500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[], but prefers a deep fertile humus-rich soil that is permanently moist but not stagnant, succeeding in shade, semi-shade or full sun[]. Requires a moist shady position[]. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut annually in the autumn[].
Plants are hardy to about -20°c[].
A very invasive plant, too rampant for anything other than the wild garden[, ].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

Young flower stalks, used before the flower buds appear, are boiled until tender and seasoned with salt[, , ].
Flower buds - cooked[].
Leafstalks - peeled and eaten raw[, , , ].
The ash of the plant is used as a salt substitute[, , , , ]. 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[].

Medicinal

The roots have been used in treating the first stages of grippe and consumption[]. The dried and grated roots have been applied as a dressing on boils, swellings and running sores[]. An infusion of the crushed roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes[].
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.)[].

Other Uses

None known

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.