WHITE BUTTERBUR

Petasites albus

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

Flowers:
month8mar month8march month8apr month8april month8may

Pappus: pappusZpossible (white)
pappus8apr pappus8april pappus8may pappus8jun pappus8june pappus8jul pappus8july

status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8white
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZclustered
 
type
typeZspiked
 
stem
stem8round
 
smell
smell8fragrant smell8scented smell8scent
scent
toxicity
toxicityZlowish
 
sex
sexZdioecious
 

28th Feb 2008, Tixal, Whaley Bridge, Derbys. Photo: © RWD
Growing near a garden by a brook.


28th Feb 2008, Tixal, Whaley Bridge, Derbys. Photo: © RWD
A frothy mass of white flowers on separate plants.


28th Feb 2008, Tixal, Whaley Bridge, Derbys. Photo: © RWD
 Male and female flowers grow on separate plants, this is a male.


Photo: © Philip Haigh
 


28th Feb 2008, Tixal, Whaley Bridge, Derbys. Photo: © RWD
 The flowers have five narrow white petals (best seen lower right), and are narrower than those of Butterbur. The plants with male flowers are distinguished from those with female flowers by the five-petalled star with elongated stamen.


Photo: © Philip Haigh
 White Butterbur has long and pale-green sepals whereas in normal Butterbur they are much shorter.


Photo: © Philip Haigh
 This and the above photos are all of the much commoner male form of White Butterbur.

Grows in similar places to Butterbur (damp woods, beside streams and fresh water).

Many similarities to : Butterbur but that has mauve to purplish flowers whereas White Butterbur has all white flowers. Also the leaves of White Butterbur, although cardioid in outline, can be more elongated, some ending in a blunt point (but others looking similar in shape to those of Butterbur.

Not to be confused with : Butterwort [a plant of similar name]

No relation to : Pirri-pirri-bur, London Bur-Marigold, Nodding Bur-Marigold,Trifid Bur-Marigold, Bur Chervil, Un-branched Bur-Reed, Branched Bur-Reed Least Bur-reed [plants with similar names].

White Butterbur is an introduced plant, grown in gardens, but now also growing wild, mainly in the North of the UK, especially in Scotland. It grows in huge colonies, spreading by underground runners or rhizomes.

Just like Butterbur, it is dioecious with the male and female flowers of White Butterbur occur on separate plants, with the female plant being much the rarer. And just like Butterbur, the male plant is shorter than the female and the female flower bundles hardly protrude at all from the green and enveloping bracts. Your Author assumes that the above photos represent just the male plants. It is rare in the south of the UK, but frequent in the north, especially in Scotland.


  Petasites albus  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Asteraceae  

Distribution
 family8Daisy & Dandelion family8Asteraceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Petasites
Petasites
(Butterburs)

WHITE BUTTERBUR

Petasites albus

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

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