Family: Asteracea - Sunflowers
"Perennial herb from stout rhizome; ± dioecious. Stem: erect, unbranched, often appearing before basal leaves. Leaf: basal large, long-petioled, blades wide, entire, toothed, or ± palmately lobed; cauline generally sheathing, scale-like, proximal sometimes with blades. Inflorescence: heads generally disciform or weakly radiate, sometimes discoid, in raceme-like to ± umbel-like clusters; involucre ± cylindric to bell-shaped; main phyllaries in 1 series, equal; receptacle flat to convex, epaleate. Pistillate flower: 0–20(70) (sterile) in staminate heads, (1)30–130+ in pistillate heads; corollas of 2 kinds, white to pale yellow, sometimes ± purple, outer often with short ray, inner cylindric. Disk flower: generally staminate (rarely bisexual), 0–12 at center of pistillate heads, 11–78 in staminate heads; corolla white to pale yellow, sometimes ± purple; anther base entire or short-sagittate, tips acute; style tips slightly thickened, entire or slightly lobed; pappus reduced. Fruit: cylindric, 5–10-ribbed; pappus bristles 60–100+.
15–18 species: North America, Eurasia. (Greek: broad-brimmed hat, from large leaves) " [Jepson]
Petasites & Tussilago sp., P. sagittatus, P. hyperboreus, P. frigidus, P. palmatus, P. japonicus.[Schofield]
Though coltsfoot is generally regarded as quite safe in moderation, it is not recommended for extended use in high dosages. Like comfrey, the plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can irritate the liver, causing lesions if taken in excess. Large amounts of coltsfoot tea may spark abortion. [Schofield]
"... prepares coltsfoot for tea-making by drying the herb, and then whizzing it in a blender. The felty leaf backing balls up and can easily be discarded. Large summer leaves are placed on top of vegetable kegs to prevent mold."[Schofield]
Family: Asteraceae (Aster family)[E-flora-2]
Other Names: arctic sweet coltsfoot)[E-flora-2]"Four varieties of this species are presently recognized in British Columbia: var. frigidus, var.nivalis, var. palmatus, and var. sagittatus. Petasites frigidus var. sagittatus is recognized at the variety level, however, it was previously recognized at the species level in the Illustrated Flora of British Columbia. This differs from the current presentation in the Flora of North America. However, the species taxonomy will be reassessed by the BC Conservation Data Centre shortly. The map on this species page reflects specimens in collections not identified to the sub-taxa level." [E-flora-2]
General: "Perennial herb from a creeping root; stems erect, branched above, numerous, more or less white woolly-hairy, with parallel-veined bracts 2.5-6 cm long, reduced upwards, 5-50 cm tall, flowering stems appear before the leaves." [IFBC-E-flora-2]
Leaves: "Basal leaves arising directly from the creeping root, triangular to heart-shaped on long stalks, shallowly to palmately lobed or toothed, white-woolly to nearly glabrous beneath, green and somewhat hairy above, 4-50 cm long; stem leaves alternate, reduced, represented by parallel-veined bracts 1-6 cm long, more or less white woolly-hairy." [IFBC-E-flora-2]
Flowers: "Heads disciform or with ray and disk flowers, several to many in a round- to flat-topped inflorescence, stalks glandular and white-woolly; involucres 6-15 mm tall; involucral bracts oblanceolate to lanceolate, pointed, hairy basally with multicellular hairs, the crosswalls often purple, margins translucent, tips fine-hairy; ray flowers few, whitish or pinkish; disk flowers whitish." [IFBC-E-flora-2]
Fruits: "Achenes 5-10-ribbed, glabrous, rarely sparsely long-hairy, 3-4.5 mm; pappus of numerous white, hairlike bristles." [IFBC-E-flora-2]
Notes:Three varieties occur in BC.
1. Leaves merely coarsely toothed or shallowly and obscurely lobed; plants of the subalpine and alpine zones........................ var. frigidus
1. Leaves conspicuously lobed; plants of the lowland to alpine zones.
2. Leaves palmately lobed and usually deeply cleft more than 1/2 way to the leaf base, usually broader than long; plants of the lowland and montane zones........................... var. palmatus (Ait.) Cronq.
2. Leaves lobed, sometimes palmately, but usually not cleft more than 1/2 way to the leaf base, usually longer than broad; plants of the subalpine and alpine zones...................... var. nivalis (Greene) Cronq. [IFBC-E-flora-2]
"Wet to moist ditches, streambanks, meadows and forests in the lowland to alpine zones; var. palmatus is common throughout all BC except the Queen Charlotte Islands and adjacent coast, var. nivalis is common throughout BC, and var. frigidus is frequent in extreme N BC and rare southward; var. palmatus - E to NF and S to MA, MI and CA; var. nivalis - E to PQ and N MN and S to N OR, and var. frigidus - circumboreal, N to AK, YT and NT, Eurasia." [IFBC-E-flora-2]
Origin Status: Native [E-flora-2]"A very shadeintolerant, montane to alpine, circumpolar forbs distributed in Pacific, Cordilleran, and Central North America. Species occurs on very moist to wet, nitrogen-rich soils within alpine tundra and subalpine boreal climates. Frequent in non-forested communities, and in open-canopy forests, common on floodplains and on exposed mineral soil at roadsides and landslides. Occasional in nutrient-rich wetlands"
Leaves
P. frigidus; Antispasmodic, poultice[172]. [PFAF-3]
Groundcover: "A good ground cover for the wilder areas of the garden[200]." [PFAF-3]
P. frigidus; "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." [PFAF-3]
Family: Asteraceae (Aster family) [E-flora]
Other Names: Japanese sweet coltsfoot [E-flora]
General: "Perennial herb from a creeping rhizome; stems erect, branched above, numerous, sparsely long-hairy to thinly woolly-hairy, 0.2-1.0 m tall; flowering stems appear before the leaves.[IFBC-E-flora]
Leaves: "Basal leaves arising directly from the rhizome, thick, round to heart-shaped on long stalks, shallowly to conspicuously toothed, usually with 20 or more teeth per side, white-woolly to nearly glabrous beneath, green and somewhat hairy above, the blades 20-40 cm long, 10-60 cm wide; stem leaves reduced to parallel-veined bracts, 1-8 cm long, reduced upwards, sparsely long-hairy. [IFBC-E-flora]
Flowers: "Heads disciform in elongate to flat-topped clusters, stalks moderately to densely white-woolly; involucres 6-12 mm tall; involucral bracts lance-shaped with hairs at the base, green, sometimes with translucent margins; disk flowers whitish.[IFBC-E-flora]
Fruits: "Achenes 5- to 10-ribbed, glabrous; pappus of white, hairlike bristles. [IFBC-E-flora]
"Moist ditches and fields in the lowland zone; infrequent in SW and SC BC; introduced from Japan." [IFBC-E-flora]
Origin Status: Exotic [E-flora]Groundcover: "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]." [PFAF]
"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." [PFAF]