Petasites japonicus

English: Giant Butterbur - Bog Rhubarb - Japanese sweet Coltsfoot
Nederlands: Japans hoefblad
Español: Fuki - Ribarbo de ciénaga - Petasite gigante
Français: Pétasite du Japon
Deutsch: Japanische Pestwurz

Family: Asteraceae - Daisy family
Flowering time: February-April
Height: 5-20cm
Altitude:
Colour: creamy white, yellow-green
Leaves: can grow up to one metre across, dark green, rough-textured, hairless beneath
Stems: stems with fifteen or more scale-leaves
Habitat: stream banks and other wet habitats, forest parks
Distribution: native to Japan
Synonym: Nardosmia japonica





Notes: Giant Butterbur produces blooms in late winter, before any foliage appears. It is cultivated in gardens and has become a local garden escape. Petasites japonicus is naturalized in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Denmark. It is considered an exotic as it is native to Japan. Giant Butterbur produces a network of pencil-sized rhizomes that spread in all directions from the original plant. It begins to colonize an extensive area after its second or third year.

Related key words: Rotterdam Botanische tuin Kralingen, Reigersbergen, Clingendael Den Haag, Huis te Manpad Heemstede, bijgoed stinsenflora, exotic