''Petasites pyrenaicus'', the winter heliotrope, is a

medicinal Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

and ornamental

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

Description

This perennial grows from deep rhizomes. The leaves are large, suborbicular and up to 20 cm across and stalked with small regular teeth. The species is dioecious, male and female flowers being borne on separate plants. The erect flower-heads grow in short racemes on stems up to 25 cm long with a few scale-leaves. The florets are pinkish-mauve and appear in DecemberParnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora''. Cork University Press. in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and from January to MarchClapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg E.F. 1968. ''Excursion Flora of the British Isles''. Cambridge University Press. in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. The flowers have a vanilla-like scent. Other species to be found in Ireland and Great Britain: ''

Petasites hybridus ''Petasites hybridus'', the butterbur, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and northern Asia. Although used over centuries in traditional medicine to treat various disorders, there are no approved ...

'' (L.) P.Gaertner, B. Meyer & Scherb, ''

Petasites albus ''Petasites albus'', the white butterbur, is a flowering plant species in the family ''Asteraceae''. It is native to central Europe and the Caucasus. Description ''Petasites albus'' is a perennial rhizomatous herb, with large suborbicular (almos ...

'' (L.) Gaertner. and ''

Petasites japonicus ''Petasites japonicus'', also known as butterbur, giant butterbur, great butterbur and sweet-coltsfoot, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to China, Japan, Korea and Sakhalin and introduced in Europe and No ...

'' (Siebold & Zucc.) Maxim.

Distribution

''Petasites pyrenaicus'' is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe, including Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and north Africa. It was introduced to Great Britain in 1806 where it has become naturalized. It was recorded in the wild by at least 1835 in Middlesex It is also introduced and naturalized in Ireland.Hackney,1992. ''Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland''. Institute of Irish Studies and Queen's University of Belfast. Female plants are unknown in the British Isles. The male plant is grown as an ornamental in gardens and some churchyards, and was well established by the start of the 20th century.

Ecology

Common on shady roadside banks. The underground rhizomes allow it to spread and its large leaves can shade out other plants. It is considered an invasive plant but can be controlled by cultivation or weedkiller.

References

* pyrenaicus {{Senecioneae-stub