Arctic sweet coltsfoot
Petasites hyperboreus

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A stout herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a creeping rootstock. It is somewhat fleshy. The leaves at the base have long leaf stalks. The leaf blades are heat shaped or triangle shaped with irregular lobes. They are deep green above and have a blue covering underneath. The flower stalks are 30-40 cm tall. There can be several heads of flowers in a flat topped cluster.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in damp alpine meadows and in wet moss near small streams in the Rocky Mountains.

Countries/locations it is found in

Canada, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The leaves and flowers are eaten raw in salads or cooked as a potherb.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, salt, stem

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Probably now Petasites nivalis;