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Petasites hybridus

Common name:	Butterbur	Family:	Compositae
Author:	(L.)P.Gaertn.,C.A.Mey.& Scherb.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Tussilago petasites (L.), Tussilago hybrida (L.), Petasites vulgaris (L.), Petasites ovatus (Hill.), Petasites officinalis (Moench.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, north and west Asia.
Habitat:	Wet meadows and copses by streams to 1500 metres[17]. The female form is rare or absent from much of Britain[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Blatterdock [H], Bog Rhubarb [H], Bogshorns [H], Butter-Dock [H], Butterbur [H,L,MS], Butterburr [H], Capdockin [H], Flapperdock [H], Groot Hoefblad [D], Kelotu [E], Langwort [H], Mweje Racene [E], Pestilence Wort [P], Pestilence-wort [B], Sweet Coltsfoot [H], Umbrella Plant [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	hybridus = hybrid
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Belgium Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 3m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf from April to December, in flower from March to May. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Meadow, Bog Garden, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antispasmodic Cardiotonic Diaphoretic Diuretic Homeopathy.

Butterbur is widely considered to be an effective cough remedy and recent experiments have shown it to have remarkable antispasmodic and pain-relieving properties[244]. It acts specifically on the bile ducts, stomach and duodenum[254]. The plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, in isolation these are toxic to the liver[254].
The root and the leaves are analgesic, antispasmodic, cardiotonic, diaphoretic and diuretic[4, 9]. A decoction is taken as a remedy for various respiratory problems such as asthma, colds, bronchitis and whooping cough and also other complaints such as fevers and urinary complaints[4, 254]. It is also very effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal complaints and biliary dyskinesia[244, 254]. Externally it can be used as a poultice to speed the healing of wounds and skin eruptions[254]. The leaves are harvested in early summer, the root in late summer to autumn. Both can be dried for later use[9]. Because the plant contains potentially toxic alkaloids its internal use cannot be recommended[254].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the roots[4]. It is used in the treatment of severe and obstinate neuralgia[4].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

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[200]. Requires a moist shady position[187]. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut annually in the autumn[233].
A very invasive plant, too rampant for anything other than the wild garden[187, 200]. Its roots are very difficult to eradicate[200]. It is best to only grow the male form in the garden to prevent unwanted seedlings popping up all over the place[200]. The growth is so dense and vigorous, with large leaves that can be 75cm or more across, that virtually no other plant is able to grow amongst this species[4].
Plants are a useful early nectar source for bees[200].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Petasites officinalis (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Petasites vulgaris (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Tussilago petasites (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for petasites hybridus (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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