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Petasites hyperboreus

Common name:	Arctic Sweet Coltsfoot	Family:	Compositae
Author:	Rydb.	Botanical references:	60
Synonyms:	Petasites frigidus nivalis ((Greene.)Cronq.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	North-western N. America.
Habitat:	Meadows, swampy places and moist woods[60].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. frigidus ssp. nivalis[B,P] P. frigidus var. nivalis[B,P] P. nivalis[B,P] P. palmatus var. frigidus[B,P] P. warrenii[B]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arctic Sweet Coltsfoot [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	hyperboreus = extreme northern
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.15m by 1m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from May to June. 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 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 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

Flowers Leaves Salt Stem.

Young leaves - cooked. A felt-like texture[172].
Young stalks and flower heads - cooked[172].
The burnt leaves are used as a salt substitute[172, 177]. The stems and leaves, whilst still green, are rolled up into balls, dried and then placed on top of a very small fire on a rock and burned[207]. A very acceptable condiment for piñ ole[207].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic Pectoral Poultice Salve.

Antispasmodic, poultice, salve[172].
An infusion of the dried, stored leaves has been used in the treatment of colds, head and chest congestion[257].

Other Uses

Containers Stuffing.

The cotton-like seed heads have been used as a stuffing material in mattresses etc[257].
The leaves have been used to make temporary cone-shaped containers for picking fruit[257]. The leaves have occasionally been used to form makeshift funnels[257].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will succeed in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. According to one report this species is no more than a synonym of P. frigidus[60]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
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]. Prefers partial shade[31]. 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].
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

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Petasites frigidus var. nivalis (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

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]).

[31] Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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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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