Petasites saggitatus
Arrowleaf Sweet Coltsfoot
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Compositae
- Genus
- Petasites
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Growth rate
- vigorous
- Height
- 0.2 m
- Spread
- 1 m
- Fertility
- self sterile
- Flower type
- dioecious
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
Young flower stalks, used before the flower buds appear, are boiled until tender and seasoned with salt[2]. Young leaves - cooked[3]. A felt-like texture[2]. The ash of the plant is used as a salt substitute[2]. 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[6]. A very acceptable condiment for piñole[6].
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Product or use
- Salt
- Plant part
- Stem
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
Antispasmodic, poultice, salve[2]. A poultice of the leaves has been applied to itchy skin and also to worms that are eating the flesh[9].
- Product or use
- Antispasmodic
- Product or use
- Poultice
- Product or use
- Salve
Environment
- Range
- North-western N. America - Labrador to Alaska, south to British Columbia and Colorado.
- Habitat
- Wet places[11].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- permanent shade
- Water
- high
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
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.
Cultivation
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. 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[5]. Prefers partial shade[10]. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut annually in the autumn[7]. A very invasive plant, too rampant for anything other than the wild garden[4][5]. Closely related to P. frigidus[11]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.
Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00