Butterbur
(Petasites hybridus)
Butterbur is a perennial plant with thick, creeping underground rhizomes and large rhubarb-like leaves during the growing season. Spikes start to appear like alien triffids in March that then shoot up and produce huge leaves.
It is very common on the banks of the Endrick. However, it spreads easily and can become a weed in gardens as it out-competes other plants.
Fascinating fact:
Leaves can grow up to 1 m in size on stalks 1.5 m high.
Butterbur is a pollinator-friendly ground-cover plant. Winter and early spring flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees when other sources of food are scarce. The leaves provide shelter and habitat for ground active invertebrates.
Native to the UK, it is also known as bog rhubarb due to its large leaves and preference for wet soil.
Uses
In the Middle Ages butterbur was used in attempts to treat plague and fever. In the 1600s, it was used for coughs, asthma and skin wounds. More recently, it has been promoted as a dietary supplement for urinary tract symptoms, stomach upsets, headaches including migraines, allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and other conditions.
Did you know
The name ‘butterbur’ is attributed to the traditional use of its large leaves to wrap butter in during warm weather.