Petasites frigidus

Petasites frigidus
File:Petasites frigidus 1925.JPG
Arctic Sweet Coltsfoot
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Senecioneae
Genus:	Petasites
Species:	P. frigidus
Binomial name
Petasites frigidus (L.) Fr.
Synonyms
Nardosmia angulosa Kuprian. Nardosmia angulosa Cass. Nardosmia arctica (A.E.Porsild) Á.Löve & D.Löve Nardosmia frigida (L.) Hook. Nardosmia nivalis (B.D.Greene) Jurtzev Nardosmia palmata (Aiton) Hook. Nardosmia sagittata (Banks ex Pursh) Hook. Nardosmia vitifolia (Greene) Á.Löve & D.Löve* P. alaskanus Rydb. P. arcticus A.E.Porsild P. corymbosus (R.Br.) Rydb. P. dentata Blank. P. gracilis Britton P. hookerianus (Nutt.) Rydb. P. hyperboreus Rydb. P. nivalis Greene P. palmatus (Aiton) A.Gray P. sagittatus (Banks ex Pursh) A.Gray P. speciosus (Nutt.) Piper P. trigonophylla Greene P. × vitifolius Greene P. warrenii H.St.John Tussilago palmata Aiton Tussilago frigida L. Tussilago sagittata Pursh

Petasites frigidus (Arctic butterbur or Arctic sweet coltsfoot) is a species of Petasites native to Arctic to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant producing flowering stems in early spring, and large leaves through the summer. The upright flowering stems are 10–20 cm tall, and bear only 5-12 inflorescences, yellowish-white to pink in colour. The leaves are rounded, 15–20 cm broad, with a deeply cleft base and shallowly lobed margin, and rise directly from the underground rootstock. The underside of the leaves is covered with matted, woolly fuzz. It grows in moist shaded ground, preferring stream banks and seeping ground of cut-banks.

File:Petasites frigidus 1030.JPG

P. f. var. palmatus fruit and leaves

File:Petasitesfrigidus.jpg

Illustration of Petasites frigidus

While there is some disagreement, some sources identify five varieties of P. frigidus:

• P. frigidus var. frigidus
• P. frigidus var. nivalis, sometimes referred to as P. nivalis or P. hyperboreus. This variety is common at subalpine and alpine elevations.
• P. frigidus var. palmatus, sometimes referred to as P. palmatus, Palmate Coltsfoot, or Western Coltsfoot; mâl-ē-mē’ (Konkow language); or tä-tä-tē’; pē’-wē is the root.
• P. frigidus var. sagittatus, arrowleaf sweet coltsfoot.
• P. frigidus var. vitifolius

Uses

The leaf stalks and flower stems (with flowers) are edible, and can be used as a vegetable dish. A salt-substitute can also be made by drying and then burning the leaves. This black, powdery substance will provide a salty taste.

References

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Petasites frigidus

External links

• Media related to Petasites frigidus at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Petasites frigidus at Wikispecies

• Mathews, Daniel. Cascade-Olympic Natural History. Raven Editions, 1999, p. 186, ISBN 978-0-9620782-0-0
• Chesnut, p. 408
• Chesnut, p. 407
• Pojar, Jim; MacKinnon, Andy. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing, 1994, p. 294, ISBN 978-1-55105-040-9
• Classification | USDA PLANTS