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Petasites japonicus

Common name: Sweet Coltsfoot Family: Compositae
Author: (Siebold.&Zucc.)Maxim. Botanical references: 58, 200
Synonyms: Nardosmia japonica (Siebold. & Zucc.)
Known Hazards: None known
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Moist woods and thickets[58].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 3Medicinal Rating (1-5):2

Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Giant Butterbur [L], Huki [E], Japanese Sweet Coltsfoot [P], Japanese Sweet-colt's-foot [B], Japans Hoefblad [D],
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
China; Japan

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 1.5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in February, and the seeds ripen in March. 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 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 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, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Stem.

Leaf stalks - cooked and used like rhubarb[1, 2, 46, 116]. The stems can be up to 1.2 metres long[104]. They can be boiled and seasoned, pickled and used in winter soups or preserved in miso[183]. They can be boiled, dipped in cold water then peeled and baked - they have a pleasant fragrant taste[206].
Flower buds cooked or used as a flavouring[1, 22, 46, 61, 105]. A slightly bitter yet agreeable flavour[116, 206], they are much prized in Japan[183]. They can be eaten whilst still green with miso or boiled down in soy sauce[183].
The young flowering stems can be eaten cooked[206].

Composition

Leaves (Dry weight)
In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Calories: 250 Protein: 19.5 Fat: 2.8 Carbohydrate: 52.8 Fibre: 19.4 Ash: 25
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 1194 Phosphorus: 556 Iron: 2.8 Sodium: 917 Potassium: 12500 VitaminA: 278 Thiamine: 0.56 Riboflavin: 0.56 Niacin: 5.56 VitaminC: 56

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiasthmatic; Antispasmodic; Expectorant; Poultice.

The plant (though the exact part of the plant used is not specified) is antiasthmatic, antispasmodic, expectorant and poultice[147]. A decoction is used in the treatment of chronic coughing and pulmonary 'deficiency', laboured or difficult breathing and asthma, constant sputum formation and pulmonary tuberculosis[147].

Other Uses

Ground cover; Miscellany.

The leaves of the sub-species P. japonicus giganteus are used as umbrellas by Japanese children[187]. The leaf stalks can be used as walking sticks[206].
Plants can be grown as ground cover in damp shady places[206]. They are too invasive for most gardens and should only be used where they have plenty of room[208].

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].
The sub-species P. japonicus giganteus has huge leaves up to 1.5 metres across on stems 2 metres tall[187]. It has a poorer flavour than the species type[206].
Sometimes cultivated in E. Asia as a food plant[1, 58].
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.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

References for petasites japonicus (a possible synonym).

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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[104] RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including an article in Crambe maritima and another on several species thought to be tender that are succeeding in a S. Devon garden.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[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.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[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.

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Bibliography

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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