Planting and caring for a butterbur plant. Butterbur photo properties application recipes Butterbur plant

Description: in the midst of spring, on the edges of arable land and along the edges of the edges, you may be lucky enough to see amazing dense pink or white spherical inflorescences crawling right out of the ground.

Photo by Andrey Sedov

This butterbur is a very peculiar and ornamental plant. , unfortunately, not too well known to our gardeners, despite the fact that two of its species are found in Europe. Try to mark the place of your meeting with the butterbur, and in the fall, dig up its rhizome and transplant it into your garden. Then in the spring he will surely please you with his unusual inflorescences. The most decorative and rapidly multiplying is the broad butterbur.

There are about 20 species in the genus, native to the Northern Hemisphere. All species have similar features and common agrotechnical requirements. They form extensive, and sometimes difficult to pass thickets. Leaves are only basal. They are rounded, petiolate, covered with white pubescence from below. Rhizomes underground, cord-like, strongly sprawling. They grow extremely fast. They bloom in a very original way in the spring before the development of the leaves.

In Central Russia, three species of the genus Butterbur are found in nature, which do not represent a special decorative value. The homeland of ornamental species is the Far East, where these plants are an integral part of the specific tall grass.

Butterbur is smooth, or Nardosmia is smooth - Petasites radiatus (J.F. Gmel.) Toman= Petasites laevigatus (Willd.) Reichenb. = Nardosmia laevigata. (Willd.) DC. Arctic and Central Europe, Middle and South. Ural, Siberia. On the banks of rivers, on pebbles, on shallows and in water. Rhizome creeping, long and thick, 4-10 mm thick. Basal leaves are large, triangular-reniform, shortly pointed, broadly toothed, 5-15 cm long. and 10-25 cm wide, completely naked. Stem 15-60 cm tall, still elongating at fruits, smooth or cobweb-fluffy in the upper part, with scaly, rather large (3-8 cm long) ovate-lanceolate leaves covering the stem with their base. Baskets 7-15 in dense corymbose inflorescence; barren - with numerous male flowers in the center and a number of marginal female flowers; fruiting baskets - with only a small (1-5) number of male flowers in the center. Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko

Butterbur rocky - Petasites rubellus (J.F. Gmel.)Toman. = Tussilago rubella J.F. gmel.= Nardosmia saxatilis Turkish. = Petasites saxatilis (Turcz.) Kom. Siberia, Far East, North. Mongolia, North-East. China. In the forest and alpine zones, along riverine forests, pebbles, on stony wet slopes, screes, sands. Rhizome creeping, thin, cord-like, 1-2 mm thick. Basal leaves are medium-sized, 1-4 cm long. and 1.5-6 cm wide., kidney-shaped, notched-acute-toothed, paler below, on both sides the leaves and petioles are sparsely covered with short thick, almost scaly hairs. Stem 5-15 cm tall, with fruits elongating up to 50 cm, ragged-soft-fluffy, with scaly, somewhat encircling the stem, ovate-lanceolate, entire leaves 1-2 cm long. Baskets 8-9 mm long. and 4-5 mm wide. 5-10 pcs. in shields. Barren baskets contain only one male flowers. Photo Ovchinnikov Yury

Butterbur false - Petasites spurius (Retz.)Reichenb. Europe, Siberia, Central Asia. On the sandy banks of rivers and lakes, it sometimes forms continuous thickets. Rhizome long, creeping, 5-10 mm thick. with fibrous roots at the nodes. Stem 15-50 cm high. slightly ragged-fluffy, covered with rather large (9-16 cm long and 2-3 cm wide), ovate-lanceolate, in the upper part lanceolate-linear, stem-embracing scaly leaves. Real leaves are only basal and develop later - on long petioles 1.5-2 times longer than a very large plate (10-28 cm long and 10-45 cm wide) - heart-shaped-triangular, unevenly serrated at the edges. On the underside they are white-felt, on the upper side they are green, almost naked or with a rare ragged down. Baskets numerous, 5-8 mm long. and 7-10 mm wide., with larger fruits, in a corymbose or racemose-paniculate inflorescence. Bracts lanceolate-linear or linear, long-pointed. Male baskets with a small number of marginal female flowers and numerous male tubular sterile flowers. The corolla of male flowers is yellowish, with a 5-toothed, almost half-incised limb. Their pistils have an underdeveloped ovary and a column thicker than that of female flowers. The stigma is bilobed. In female baskets, marginal fertile flowers are numerous, white, filiform-tubular, obliquely cut, with 4-5 unequal teeth. The middle flowers, including several male ones, with an underdeveloped ovary. Achenes are cylindrical, slightly ribbed, up to 2 mm long. Flyers are silvery. The hairs are multi-row on the stem with several short cilia. Photo Suslova Elena

Siberian butterbur - Petasites sibiricus (J.F. Gmel) Dingwall = Tussilago sibirica J.F. gmel= Nardosmia gmelinii Turkish. ex DC. = Endocellion sibiricum (J.F. Gmel) Toman. = P. gmelinii (Turcz. ex DC.) Polun. Siberia, Chukotka, Anadyr, Far East, North. Mongolia. Rubble tundra in mountainous regions and on plains, on wet slopes, talus, marshy tundra and stream banks. Rhizome thin, cord-like, creeping, 1-3 mm thick. Basal leaves on petioles equal or 1.5-2 times shorter than the blades, oblong, oblong-ovate or ovate, shortly pointed or obtuse at the apex, cuneate or almost rhombic at the base, slightly notched-toothed along the edges, green and glabrous above, white below - felt. Stem 10-25 cm tall, with fruits up to 50 cm, straight. Baskets single or in number 2-3, 1-2 cm in diameter. In female baskets, fertile flowers are numerous, with a corolla 6-7 mm long. Two or three extreme rows of them with a long 3-3.5 mm long. tongue fold. The flowers in the center of the basket are tubular. Male flowers are among several in the central part of the basket. In male baskets, only marginal flowers are female, the rest are barren male. Photo by Vyacheslav Petukhin from the site "Nature of Baikal"

Butterbur cold - Petasites frigidus (L.) Fris. = Tussilago frigida L. = Nardosmia frigida (L.) Hook. Eurasia, Sev. Eurasia. In forests along hollows, in peat and sedge bogs, in high mountains along the banks of streams, in moss and sedge tundras. Rhizome creeping, long and thick, 4-10 mm thick. Basal leaves are triangular-heart-shaped, pointed, 3-15 cm long. and almost as wide., along the edges deeply notched-toothed, almost lobed; from above slightly cobweb-fluffy or almost naked, from below grayish-felt. Stem 10-40 cm high. (with fruits up to 70 cm) cobweb-fluffy. Stem leaves scaly, ovate-lanceolate 2-13(20) cm long. at the end with a germinal plate. Basket 10-13 mm long. and 5-6 mm wide. in a dense almost corymbose inflorescence, with fruits elongating into a brush. Male baskets with one row of marginal reed flowers, with a limb 4-6 mm long. In female baskets, the limb of the corolla is very short, in marginal flowers 1-1.5 mm long. Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko

Location: grows rapidly in moist, shady areas, forming a thicket. With sufficient moisture, they grow well in the sun. Winter-hardy without shelter. They are planted directly on the shore, surrounded by a restrictive strip of plastic or in solid containers. Butterburs are white, hybrid, palm-shaped, wide successfully endure strong shading.

Petasites hybridus	Petasites hybridus
Photos by Safronova Larisa

The soil: the plant is not demanding on soils, but prefers dense clayey, well-moistened rich soils. On poor soils, they lose their decorative effect. In good fertile soil, they grow very quickly and reach large sizes.

Petasites albus
Photo Kravchenko Kirill

Care: plants are aggressive and difficult to eradicate, large species are especially malicious. They need constant supervision. Cut off faded inflorescences that spread flying seeds.

Butterbur leaves are very fond of slugs that eat holes and this greatly reduce the decorative effect. Therefore, starting from the moment the leaves grow back, it is necessary to provide a set of protective measures against these pests (scatter granulated superphosphate or the Meta chemical preparation around the plants).

Reproduction: segments of rhizomes (transplantation in August-September is carried out immediately in place). During spring transplantation, individuals grow worse and their fox-leaves remain smaller throughout the year.

When sowing seeds bloom for 3-4 years. There are no specifics for germinating seeds and raising seedlings. It can be propagated by spring cuttings with leaf buds taken with a piece of rhizome.

Usage: the leaves form a very showy canopy. Good in group plantings under trees. Butterbur requires fairly large areas, since the small curtain of this plant does not look very picturesque, and besides, it will still begin to aggressively spread to the sides, crowding out other plants. But butterbur is ideal for decorating fences, walls of buildings and outbuildings. The curtain of this plant is appropriate near a pond or river, as well as under a canopy of trees. Butterbur is most suitable for landscaping the coastal zone of large reservoirs - ponds, rivers, lakes - decorated in a natural style. Curtains of this plant look most decorative against the background of trees and large bushes. Next to it, plantings of such large-sized plants as elecampane, buzulyshk, various types of rhubarb, cow parsnip, comfrey and others will be appropriate.

Petasites palmatus	Petasites palmatus
Photos by Anna Petrovicheva

In the spring, along the edges of the edges or on the sides of arable land, you may be lucky enough to see wonderful dense white or pink spherical inflorescences hatching from the ground.

Butterbur is a very ornamental plant, not so popular with our gardeners. Try to remember the meeting place with this plant, and transplant it into your garden in the fall.

And in the spring, the butterbur will surely please you with unusual inflorescences. The most decorative is a wide butterbur.

The genus includes approximately 20 species that grow in the Northern Hemisphere. Butterbur species have similar features and common agrotechnical conditions. They form wide, difficult-to-pass thickets.

Butterbur foliage is only basal. They are petiolate, rounded. The rhizome is underground, strongly sprawling. It grows very fast. Blooms originally in the spring before the leaves bloom.

Species and varieties

In Russia, there are three types of butterbur, which are not very decorative. The homeland of ornamental species of butterbur is the Far East, where they are an integral part of the characteristic tall grass.

Butterbur wide

The range of this butterbur: Russia, Japan. It grows along the banks of rivers, in forests, at the foot of sea terraces.

Perennial with a long rhizome. The maximum height of thickets is 1.5 m. In spring, after snow, dense, spike-shaped inflorescences appear from inconspicuous yellow-whitish baskets above the ground. Then rounded powerful leaves develop on petioles, dying off with the first frost.

Butterbur varieties wide :

« Variegatus » - yellow spots of non-standard shape on large foliage;

« Purpureus » - with reddish foliage.

An excellent plant for planting in bushes in moist places with fertile soil.

Japanese Butterbur

Decorative creeping perennial 45 cm high. Japanese butterbur is used as a groundcover, which quickly occupies a free area and suppresses weeds. Globular inflorescences of Japanese butterbur appear before the leaves.

Butterbur fragrant

The species is named for its unusual smell, reminiscent of vanilla. Flowers of fragrant butterbur are pink-white. A plant from the Mediterranean.

Butterbur hybrid

A common plant that can be found on the banks of rivers. The flower-bearing stem and leaves are beet-green. The inflorescence is like an ear, then stretches into a brush. The flowers are pink. The foliage is round-heart-shaped on a gray lining about 70 cm tall.

Butterbur location

The plant grows rapidly in shaded, damp areas, forming a thicket. With good moisture, it develops well in the sun. Winters without shelter. Butterbur is planted right on the shore, covering with a restrictive strip of plastic or in containers.

Soil for butterbur

Butterbur is not picky about soils, but prefers clay, moist soils. On poor soil, the plant loses its decorative effect. On fertile land, butterbur grows very quickly and reaches enormous sizes.

Butterbur Care

An aggressive plant and difficult to eradicate, large species are very malicious. Requires constant supervision. Faded butterbur inflorescences must be removed so that the seeds bloom.

Butterbur leaves love slugs. Therefore, from the moment the foliage grows, it is necessary to provide protective measures against pests.

Butterbur breeding

Segments of rhizomes. When transplanted in spring, plants grow worse and their foliage remains smaller throughout the season.

Butterbur use

The foliage forms a spectacular canopy. Good butterbur in a group planting. Butterbur needs large areas, because a small curtain of a plant does not look very picturesque, but it will still grow aggressively to the sides, crowding out other plants.

Butterbur is ideal for decorating the walls of buildings, fences. Butterbur is appropriate by the pond, under the canopy of trees. The plant is suitable for the coastal zone of large reservoirs - rivers, ponds, lakes - which are decorated in a natural style.

The bushes of this plant look decorative against the background of large bushes and trees. Next to the butterbur, planting of large-sized plants such as buzulnik, elecampane, various types of rhubarb, comfrey, cow parsnip and others will be appropriate.

A nature-style garden should look as natural and diverse as natural communities. This means that it must contain different natural forms of plants: trees, shrubs and grasses. Yes, and within each of these divisions - their gradation. Herbs, for example, are in turn diverse and diverse. This is a plump miniature juvenile, and a scepter-shaped mullein sticking out with a candle, and a sprawling giant burdock. Here we will talk about such a “burdock” of an ornamental garden - butterbur.

Gunnery's rival.

A leaf similar to the print of a horse's hoof, whitish below - that's the explanation for the name of the butterbur. Only now, what should be a horse with a one and a half meter hoof - is it not as tall as a bell tower !? Such gigantic, on two-meter petioles, nature endowed the Japanese butterbur, which lives on Sakhalin. Other butterburs, although inferior to this herbal Gulliver, are not much. Of course, all this is nothing in comparison with the main garden elephant grass - gunnera, under a six-meter leaf of which, as eyewitnesses assure, three horsemen can hide from the rain. But the gunner - give us the subtropics, so the butterbur for us is the gunner.

Genus butterbur (Petasites ) belongs to the Compositae (or Asteraceae) family and has 18 species. All of them have much in common: large or very large leaves on vertically standing petioles, cord-like superficial roots, the absence of a peduncle towering above the leaves, the ability to grow in extensive thickets along the banks of rivers.

In our gardens we grow mainly butterbur wide(Petasites amplus) comes from the Far East. The height of its leaf petioles reaches one and a half meters, and the diameter of the leaves is 80 cm. It blooms in early spring at the same time as the mother and stepmother with whitish-yellow flowers collected in a spike-shaped inflorescence. Leaves grow back after flowering. The plant is dioecious, therefore it does not form seeds in our conditions. Propagated by segments of rhizomes.

What is good and what is bad for butterbur.

Fine. Sufficiently light moist soil in combination with a sunny location or lateral penumbra. Butterbur is not picky about soil fertility and can grow well on sand, provided there is sufficient moisture and the proximity of groundwater. At the same time, the less moist the soil is, the greater should be the fertility and moisture capacity of the substrate. The presence of humus, by the way, is directly proportional to the size of the leaves.

Badly. Heavy loam or dry barren sand with deep water table. The dense shade and the proximity of trees with powerful roots are also unacceptable.

Landing. Rhizome segments are best planted in late summer and autumn until October. Spring planting is also successful, but the plants grow worse, and in the first season they are inferior in size to those planted in autumn. Butterbur grows well on cultivated garden soil, but the size of its leaves depends on the moisture supply. It is possible to improve the soil by introducing large (8-10 buckets per m?) doses of peat. If the substrate is specially prepared, then a mixture of soddy soil, humus (peat) and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 2 will do. The optimal depth of the cultivated layer is the bayonet of a shovel.

Care. Butterbur water, which is understandable, can be served without a limit. At the same time, it is advisable to water under the root, so as not to breed excess dampness, which is so good for slugs, which often eat large holes in its leaves. I note that the thick shadow of the butterbur serves as a refuge not only for slugs, but also for their enemies - frogs. Neutralization of slugs and watering during prolonged drought is basically all the plant cares about. However, both can be neglected, and then it remains to remove the dried "tops" in the spring. The "good news" for those wanting to plant butterbur is its ability to suppress weeds and grow for years without much supervision.

Garden with features of the park.

In the village and in the country. The butterbur itself is a large-sized one, and it requires plant neighbors to match itself. Therefore, it is sometimes a bit crowded on standard sections. But a vast estate, a country house or a forest lodge, is just right for him. It is good to plant it on the edge of a forest or a group of trees, as their picturesque padding.

For example, you will give a country estate a natural charm if you start landscaping from its immediate surroundings. There may be many options. For example, if your house is right next to a pond, a vast thicket on its shore will look very interesting. You can assign the butterbur the role of your loyal soldier mobilized to fight the weed growing in plain sight. After all, give him free rein, but help a little, and he will overcome everything and force it out. And certainly a damp hollow, overgrown with swan, visible from your window, will become much more attractive if you give it at the mercy of the butterbur.

Butterbur arrays can mask unsightly elements of garden infrastructure, hide and ennoble relief imperfections: gullies, pits, ditches. A natural limitation for its distribution can be a dense shrub or a low-lying crown of a coniferous large-sized tree - and of course human paths-roads, which he cannot overcome either.

At the townhouse and city cottage. The urban specialization of butterbur can become unusual. In a city where there is a lot of asphalt and stone, it can be planted in paving windows - effective limiters from sprawl. Butterbur will quickly capture all the allotted space, and then not a foot. It looks very original, and there is practically no maintenance.

The genus owes its name to wide large leaves, shaped like a horse's hoof print.

Plant height from 30 to 150 cm, depending on the species. It is rare to find two-meter plants. Rhizome powerful, creeping, cord-like, up to 1.5 m long. The shoots are juicy and thick, covered with scaly, membranous, stalked leaves. At the beginning of growth in early spring, stems with adjacent leaves emerge from the ground, ending in unusual spike-shaped inflorescences that look like morel mushrooms. Some species are dioecious, i.e. male and female flowers are produced on different plants. Flowering occurs in April - early May before the basal leaves bloom. The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish or pinkish. At the end of flowering, the shoots stretch out, reaching their maximum height, and fruits with seeds are tied, and then they are replaced by large basal leaves that die off with autumn frosts.

The most commonly cultivated butterbur is broad (Petasites amplus). In nature, it is endemic to the Far East and China. It has rounded spike-shaped inflorescences, more like shields. Its pale green flowers are of little interest, but the huge, up to 150 cm in diameter, lush green leaves on high petioles form very beautiful curtains that look great in the garden, decorating uneven, empty, well-moistened places. In addition to the natural look, there are varieties - variegated "Variegata" with creamy uneven strokes and "Purpureus" - with a reddish tinge of petioles and foliage plates.

It is inferior in size to the broadbutterbur, but in general it looks like it. Japanese butterbur (Petasites japonicus) up to 45 cm high. Some authors (T.Yu. Konovalova, N.A. Shevyreva, "Plants for reservoirs") combine them into a single species. Given the high variability of butterburs in nature, the separation of species is very difficult.

Can be grown in gardens less tall (20-60 cm) natural species of hybrid origin - hybrid butterbur (Petasites hybridus), ubiquitous in Russia in lowlands, damp ravines and along river banks. Differs in elongated racemose inflorescences, in which baskets of off-white or pink color are enclosed in purple wrappers. The flower-bearing stem with leaves has a purple tint, which is then present in the color of the petioles and leaf veins. The leaves are gray-felt-pubescent, young - on both sides, then only from the inside. Among the people there are other names for this butterbur: maternik, royal root, king grass, burdock, podbel, plague grass. It has medicinal properties and is used in traditional medicine.

For landing in the shallow water of a reservoir, smooth butterbur is also suitable, or radiant(Petasites radiatus), previously called nardosmia smooth - a wild plant in Central Europe, the Urals and Siberia up to 60 cm tall with medium-sized leaves and corymbose inflorescences from greenish-white baskets surrounded by rare marginal petals. It is not found in nurseries, but can be taken from nature.

Butterbur can be planted near fences, next to the porch and in other places even exposed to the sun. The main thing is to provide the plants with enough moisture. However, butterbur gives preference to shaded, damp lowlands. The most successful place for him is on the shore of a garden pond and in shallow water up to 40 cm deep. Here he looks great and does not allow various weeds to spread, forming dense lush green thickets.

The best soils for butterbur are well-moistened, clayey, and quite fertile.

Care consists in the timely watering of those plants that are planted in open sunny areas away from water bodies. To prevent self-seeding, it is recommended to cut off faded inflorescences. Often there is a need to restrain the growth of curtains with the help of wide plastic tapes or special root barriers made of thick mesh. Young butterbur leaves are attacked by slugs, from which it is worth taking preventive measures - laying out traps, periodically sprinkle the ground under plants with irritating ash, superphosphate, red pepper.

Butterbur is propagated by cuttings, leaf buds with a piece of rhizome or segments of the rhizomes themselves, which are transplanted immediately to a permanent place in August-September. Mature seeds can also be used, although this method is rarely used when breeding this fast growing plant.

If your garden has large empty areas, uncultivated waterfronts, or you just like the lush greenery of large-leaved plants, plant butterbur - it will transform your garden in a very short time and with minimal labor on your part.

Butterbur is a herbaceous plant for open ground, which has rounded leaves and unusual inflorescences. The homeland of garden culture is the Far East, and in Russia only non-decorative varieties grow under natural conditions. In order for ornamental plant varieties to develop properly, they require special care.

Butterbur varieties

In Russia, there are only 3 varieties of butterbur, which are not of decorative value. Therefore, seedlings are brought from abroad - from the Far Eastern countries.

There are such ornamental plant varieties:

• Wide - perennial culture with a developed root system. Prefers moist soils, grows up to 1.5 m. There are two types - with spotted leaves and reddish.
• Japanese - perennial creeping plant. Reaches 45 cm, densely covers the soil, suppressing weeds.
• Hybrid variety - a plant up to 70 cm. Pink flowers grow directly on the stem, the leaves are large, red-green.

All varieties are unpretentious, but require special conditions of detention.

Butterbur plant: maintenance and care

Thickets of the plant feel good both in the shade and in the sun, if there is enough moisture. Do not require shelter for the winter. They grow well on poor soil, but on fertile land they look more attractive and reach maximum sizes.

For the proper growth of this culture, it is necessary to provide optimal care:

1. Constantly control the emergence of new shoots that can develop from the roots.
2. Remove inflorescences after flowering, preventing seed formation.
3. Conduct pest control regularly. Slug-eaten leaves lose their attractiveness.
4. Water often, but in moderation, better in the evening.

When growing a crop in a garden plot, it should be borne in mind that it is aggressive towards other plants. Therefore, it should be planted in places where it will bring minimal harm - away from valuable crops.