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October 7, 2005 : Petasites japonicus var. giganteus
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Keywords: Asteraceae | Petasites japonicus (Siebold & Zucc.) Maxim. var. giganteus (F. Schmidt ex Trautv.) G. Nicholson | Petasites japonicus (Siebold & Zucc.) Maxim. subsp. giganteus (F. Schmidt ex Trautv.) Kitam.
Credit to “Weekend Gardener” of Coquitlam, British Columbia for this image of a “man-eating plant” (submitted via the BPotD Submissions Forum). Kind thanks!
As promised in this BPotD entry for the Asian Garden, here is another photograph of Petasites japonicus var. giganteus, or Japanese butterbur. As alluded to by Weekend Gardener in the written accompaniment to his submission, this plant can be an aggressive grower given the right conditions. I'm hesitant to attach the moniker “invasive” to it (like so many others have on the web), primarily because its ability to disperse is limited. That being said, it may indeed be biologically invasive in some areas, so caution should be exercised if you are considering growing it.
The size and structure of the leaves hint at the habitat ecology of the plant – moist soils in a shady forest. Large leaf surface area typically equates with a high rate of water loss, hence the need for moist soils. The large leaf surface area is also a mechanism for capturing as much available light as possible, a strategy typical of growing in shady conditions. The leaf itself is relatively thin compared with the sturdy similarly-sized leaves of some Gunnera. When considered in tandem with the surface area of the leaf, thin large leaves imply the plant cannot be exposed to high winds. Accordingly, forests offer protection from any potential mechanical damage or dessication caused by air movement.
Small note on the taxonomy – some excellent references suggest variety giganteus, while others use subspecies giganteus. I've used variety, but if anyone wants to convince me otherwise, I'd definitely listen to any argument.
Photography resource link: The work of Ladislav Kamarád, in particular the photographs from South America: Patagonia and Bolivia.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at October 7, 2005 2:58 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Bruce at October 7, 2005 7:04 AM
I am discovering your site and I hope I'll enjoy it
Posted by: melliug at October 7, 2005 7:38 AM
Hello and welcome melliug!
Bruce: I'm hitting the wall at what I can reasonably(?) provide of my own time for each entry. Any new additional bit of information would mean I'd have to drop something else.
Fortunately, this format allows anyone to go in and add additional information if they so choose via the comments. I'd welcome it. If someone wanted to research the plants before they were posted, I could provide what is upcoming about 50% of the time.
In any case, to answer your question for this plant: a search on Google for “Petasites japonicus” zone.
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at October 7, 2005 10:45 AM
Petasites japonicus var. giganteus is Z5 and native to Japan.
Source - The New RHS Dictionary, Index of Garden Plants, Mark Griffiths
Posted by: Beverley at October 7, 2005 4:46 PM
Hey Bruce, this isn't a landscaping/gardening website. Look it up! Many plants are Northwest natives or plants which thrive in the various climate zones of this diverse region. The USDA (http://plants.usda.gov/) has a great database of North American natives with lots of details including hardiness info. Oregon State (http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/) also has a pretty decent website of particular interest to northwest gardeners.
Keep up the great work Daniel!!!
Posted by: chris at October 8, 2005 9:23 PM
Recently I read that Butterbur leaves are useful in allergic rhinitis and has effect equivalent to Cetrizine. As I am suffering from the same, I would like to know the Indian name of Butterbur which I can use as remedy for allergic rhinitis.
Posted by: P.G.Mathews at March 26, 2006 11:56 PM
I suspect this is the paper you are referencing: Schapowal, A. 2002. Randomised controlled trial of butterbur and cetirizine for treating seasonal allergic rhinitis. British Medical Journal. 324:144-146. I don't know about the Indian name, though.
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin at March 27, 2006 7:57 AM
I am aware that coltsfoot, a name used to describe other petasites plants, has medicinal value, in the way of smoking the dried leaves for a bad cough, and also has lung healing qualities in general. I have some of the giganteus growing, and am tempted to try it, but I'm interested in opinions on the coltsfoot connection
Posted by: cameron at March 28, 2006 7:48 PM
I am up in north, & have been asked to grow this, does anyone know do deer eat it. I don't believe deer eat regular colts foot.
Posted by: theresa at October 12, 2006 11:50 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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I do wish the Zones in which these plants are hardy would be included in the write-up.