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

medicinal Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

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 Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

, 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 (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

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 north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

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

Petasites hybridus ''Petasites hybridus'', also known as the butterbur, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is native to Europe and northern Asia. Although used over centuries in traditional medicine to treat various disorders, t ...

'' (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'' (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 In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

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