herbaceous layer

butterbur

petasites hybridus

the first pink flower-spikes push up before the huge rhubarb-like leaves — an early nectar source and a soil-binding coloniser for wet ground where little else holds.

functions

pollinator foragewildlife habitatdynamic accumulator

field guide

light

part shade

moisture

wet

soil

damp, heavy, streamside

this profile is still growing. know butterbur? help add its uses, size, and how to grow it — contribute what you know →

season

open the calendar →
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grower's notes

members

propagation, guild role, and deeper ecology for butterbur — the members' view.

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relationships — grows well with

comfrey (bocking 14)symphytum × uplandicum→meadowsweetfilipendula ulmaria→valerianvaleriana officinalis→
see butterbur on the relationship map →

the takeaway

start a guild around butterbur

plant these together and the relationships on this page start working for you — feeders, protectors, and cover, layer by layer.

herbaceous
butterbur — the anchor
herbaceous
comfrey (bocking 14)meadowsweetvalerian