Petasites palmatus — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Flower buds, Flower stalks

Young flower stalks, harvested before the flower buds appear, are boiled until tender and seasoned with salt. The flower buds are also eaten cooked. Leaf stalks can be peeled and eaten raw. The ash of the plant is used as a salt substitute: while still green, the stems and leaves are rolled into balls, carefully dried, then burned on top of a very small fire on a rock.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant.

North America, USA,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, St Vincent

How to Identify

A fast-growing perennial reaching 0.4 m tall and 1 m wide. Dioecious species flowering February to April with seeds ripening in April. Thrives in light, medium, or heavy soils across mildly acidic to basic pH ranges. Tolerates full shade to full sun but prefers moist or wet conditions.

How to Grow

Propagation: Sow seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe or in early spring, covering only lightly and keeping the compost moist. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out in summer. Division succeeds at almost any time of year. Larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions; smaller ones are better potted up and grown on in light shade in a cold frame until well established, then planted out in late spring or early summer.

Medicinal Uses

The roots have been used to treat the early stages of grippe and consumption. Dried and grated roots have been applied as a dressing on boils, swellings, and running sores. An infusion of crushed roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes. A syrup for treating coughs and lung complaints has been prepared by combining the roots of this species with mullein (Verbascum sp.) and plum root (Prunus sp.).

Other Uses

None known

Wikipedia