In spring, along the edges of forest 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 - very ornamental plant, not so popular among our gardeners. Try to remember where you met this plant, and in the fall, transplant it into your garden.
And in the spring, butterbur will definitely delight you with unusual inflorescences. The most decorative is the broad butterbur.
The genus contains approximately 20 species that grow in the Northern Hemisphere. Butterbur species have similar traits and general agrotechnical conditions. They form wide, difficult-to-pass thickets.
Butterbur foliage is only basal. They are petiolate and round. The rhizome is underground, highly spreading. It grows very quickly. It blooms originally in spring before the leaves bloom.
Types and varieties
In Russia there are three species of butterbur, which are not very decorative. Homeland decorative species butterbur is the Far East, where they are integral part characteristic tall grass.
Butterbur wide
The habitat of this butterbur: Russia, Japan. It grows along the banks of rivers, in forests, at the foot of sea terraces.
Perennial with long rhizomes. The maximum height of the thickets is 1.5 m. In spring, after snow, dense, spike-shaped inflorescences from inconspicuous yellow-whitish baskets appear above the ground. Then rounded powerful leaves develop on petioles, dying off with the first frost.
Varieties of butterbur :
« Variegatus » - on large foliage yellow spots non-standard shape;
« Purpureus » - with reddish foliage.
An excellent plant for planting in bushes damp places with fertile soil.
Japanese butterbur
An ornamental creeping perennial 45 cm high. Japanese butterbur is used as a ground cover plant that quickly occupies free space and suppresses weeds. The spherical inflorescences of Japanese butterbur appear before the leaves.
Butterbur fragrant
The species is named due to its unusual smell, reminiscent of vanilla. Fragrant butterbur flowers are pink and white. Plant from the Mediterranean.
Hybrid butterbur
A common plant that can be found on river banks. The flowering stem and leaves are beet green. The inflorescence is like a spike, 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 quickly in shaded, damp areas, forming a thicket. With good moisture, it develops well in the sun. Overwinters without shelter. Butterbur is planted directly on the shore, covered with a restrictive strip of plastic or in containers.
Soil for butterbur
Butterbur is not picky about soils, but prefers clayey, moist soils. In poor soil, the plant loses its decorative properties. On fertile land Butterbur grows very quickly and reaches enormous sizes.
Butterbur care
An aggressive plant and difficult to eradicate, very malicious large species. Requires constant supervision. Faded butterbur inflorescences must be removed so that the seeds can bloom.
Butterbur leaves are loved by slugs. Therefore, from the moment the foliage grows, it is necessary to take protective measures against pests.
Butterbur Reproduction
Sections of rhizomes. When transplanted in the spring, the plants grow worse and their foliage remains smaller throughout the season.
Uses of butterbur
The foliage forms a spectacular canopy. Butterbur is good in group planting. Butterbur needs large areas, because a small clump of plants 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 and fences. Butterbur is appropriate near a pond, under the canopy of trees. The plant is suitable for the coastal zone of large bodies of water - 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 butterbur, it would be appropriate to plant large-sized plants such as buzulnik, elecampane, different types rhubarb, comfrey, hogweed and others.
Butterbur is a perennial wild plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. It loves shady, damp corners and is well suited for marshy areas of the garden. Its appearance most closely resembles a coltsfoot, but is significantly larger in size.
It was not by chance that the plant received its unusual name - the leaf blades are shaped like horse hoof marks. Other famous names– podbel, “plague herb”, “royal root”.
In our country, butterbur is mainly grown. His homeland is the Far East. It grows on Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, as well as in Japan, China and Korea. Prefers places near bodies of water - along the banks of lakes, swamps, rivers, streams, at the foot of sea terraces.
Peculiarities
The length of fibrous creeping roots reaches one and a half meters. Since they grow in a horizontal direction, in some places they sometimes reach the earth’s surface.
With coming early spring peduncles covered with membranous leaves appear. Their height ranges from 45 to 100 cm. The top of the peduncle is decorated with a paniculate or corymbose inflorescence with small flowers. The latter appear in the spring with the awakening of nature and have pleasant aroma. Shades can be very different: reddish, green-yellow, dirty purple. Podbel is a dioecious plant, which is rare among herbs. Male flowers more bright and expressive than women's ones. The flowering period occurs in the second half of spring. After it is completed, the stem still continues to grow.
After flowering ends, leaves appear, reaching enormous sizes during the summer. This is the main thing decorative decoration butterbur. They are bright green in color, located on vertical petioles. On their reverse side there is whitish pubescence. The dying off of foliage occurs only with the onset of frost.
The fruits are presented as single-seeded capsules with a large tuft. They ripen in June and are carried by the wind.
Reproduction
Podbel is propagated vegetatively and using seeds. The soil must be well fertilized before planting so that in the future the plant receives all the necessary nutrients. Let's take a closer look at both options.
Rhizomes
For propagation, sections of rhizomes with buds are used. They are separated in spring or summer after flowering from the mother plant. Best time for the procedure – September. Spring planting is also possible, but the growth is worse. The optimal length of the workpieces is from five to seven centimeters. After planting in a new place it will be necessary good watering. Before the first cold weather, the root grows intensively, and the first shoots appear by next spring.
Seeds
You can sow them in open ground or start growing seedlings. With the latter option, you will need boxes filled with sand and peat soil. Well-moistened seeds are covered with film. Constant ventilation and spraying of crops is necessary. Seedlings are distributed into separate pots after the first true leaves appear. The end of spring is ideal for planting grown plants in open ground. Seedlings will begin to bloom fully only after 3 or 4 years.
Landing
You should dig a shallow hole and fill it with a special substrate. Here is an approximate composition of a suitable mixture:
- sand and peat (in equal quantities);
- humus;
- turf land.
Care
Caring for podbelom is not difficult; even an inexperienced gardener is quite capable of growing dense thickets. However, the habitat must be selected carefully.
Butterbur needs moderate to bright light. It shows its full potential in sufficiently moist and rich soil with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. In this case, the leaves grow huge, and they are its main decoration. If the soil is poor, the perennial will grow less decorative. Also, it does not tolerate dense shade, dry places, heavy soil, the proximity of trees with powerful roots.
Watering is done only at the root. It is better not to add excess dampness, otherwise it may attract slugs. Even if there is no rain for a long time, the plant itself extracts moisture, thanks to its roots, which go deep into the ground.
- You should monitor the ripening of seeds and immediately pick them off so that they do not spread by self-sowing.
- It is better to limit the growth of roots by cutting them off. Otherwise, butterbur can displace not only weeds, but also other crops.
- In autumn, the above-ground part dies off and needs to be cut off.
- This is a frost-resistant plant, so shelter is not required.
- Regular feeding is not necessary. If you mulch the soil with peat or compost in the spring, this will be enough for active growth.
Pests
Podbel is a favorite delicacy of caterpillars and slugs. They eat leaf blades, leaving holes in them. Fortunately, there are special insecticides that help cope with this problem.
Beneficial features
This plant has been used by mankind since ancient times as healing agent. Previously, they even treated this dangerous disease like a plague. It stopped bleeding from bubonic ulcers and eliminated pain.
All of him beneficial features associated with a unique and rich composition. The roots and leaves contain essential oils, bitterness, carotenoids, resinous substances, pentazole, inulin, manganese and organic acids.
Prepared from leaves and rhizomes alcohol tinctures, water infusions and decoctions. Medicinal drugs have sedative, anthelmintic, antispasmodic, immunostimulating, diaphoretic and expectorant effects. They also help cope with increased blood pressure, get rid of allergies, calm the nervous system.
Fresh crushed butterbur leaves can be applied to fresh wounds and inflammations. They have antimicrobial, analgesic and hemostatic effects.
Leaf harvesting is carried out in July and August. Under no circumstances should they have rust stains on them. After collecting, the leaves should be washed and spread on a piece of cloth in a thin layer. Raw materials, dried in the correct way, have an unexpressed aroma and a mucous-bitter taste. The roots are first cleaned of small roots, sand, soil and other impurities. Dry them in the shade or in a room with good ventilation.
Butterbur must be consumed with caution, because in large doses it is poisonous. In addition, it has a number of contraindications. Self-treatment absolutely unacceptable.
Types and varieties
In total, butterbur has about twenty varieties. Let's look at the most famous of them.
Japanese
This perennial is beautiful and is often used as an ornamental ground cover. Decorated with pale yellow flowers collected in inflorescences. He amazes eyewitnesses primarily with his large sizes. The diameter of the leaves exceeds 1 meter, and the petioles are taller than human height. The most popular in floriculture are two varieties:
- Purpeureus - have reddish foliage;
- Variegatus - light yellow baskets, leaves with yellow streaks and irregularly shaped spots.
False
Grows on sandy shores lakes and rivers Stem height is 15-50 cm. It has a long and creeping rhizome with knotty roots. The flowers are collected in baskets and are yellow or yellowish-white in color. The leaf blades are smaller than other varieties. They are folded in such a way that they resemble a funnel, and are densely pubescent on the underside.
Medicinal (regular)
This butterbur grows to a height of about 50-70 cm. It has a dark purple or reddish stem with small scales. The bright green leaves are heart-shaped. In June, gray-purple tubular flowers appear at the tops of the shoots. The stem and foliage have a beet greenish color. At first the inflorescence resembles a spike, but later it turns into a brush.
Hybrid
Grows in forest ravines and on river banks. Capable of growing rapidly to form dense and impenetrable thickets. The inflorescences have the shape of a spike. The flowers are reddish, dirty pink. The leaves are large, with transparent fibers.
Landscape design
Butterbur is prized landscape designers for powerful leaves and unusual flowers. On standard garden plots it will be cramped due to its impressive size. This perennial is usually decorated large areas, country houses, extensive estates. It hides terrain imperfections well, rural outbuildings, ditches, holes. Since podbel inhibits the growth of weeds, the need to weed the area gradually disappears. But care should also be taken to ensure that there are natural restrictions on its spread. Since he is very aggressive and powerful, he needs an environment to match. Spruce, fir, dense bushes, and human roads are suitable for this role.
Butterbur also looks good in group plantings. Among suitable options– large trees, rhubarb, comfrey, hogweed, delphinium, foxglove, elecampane.
The plant is impossible would be better suited for designing the coastal zone of reservoirs. IN Lately in cities they began to plant it in flower beds and flowerbeds, which looks very original.
This type of butterbur is quite well known and belongs to the Asteraceae family.
Has many different names:
- coltsfoot hybrid;
- butterbur officinalis, ovoid, common;
- petasites;
- Nardosmia;
- camouflage grass;
- mother liquor, mother liquor;
- king grass, royal root;
- plague herb, plague root;
- baptized.
In spring, young growth of this moisture-loving herbaceous plant is sometimes confused with coltsfoot. However, they are not much mistaken: botanists used to classify them as one genus. Medicinal characteristics also similar.
Description
– perennial, likes to grow in marshy alkaline soils. Sometimes its dense thickets can be found right in the water, on the rifts of small forest streams. IN old times better known as petasites ("hatter") or nardosmia ("water burdock"), was considered magical plant with strong medicinal properties. Mystics from the Rosicrucian Order ranked it among the twelve sacred zodiac herbs. It is found everywhere in areas with temperate climates - in Europe, Russia, and the USA.
Popular in landscape design because it displaces weeds and has a pleasant appearance: large round shaped juicy green leaves and large elegant spike-shaped inflorescences of a pale beetroot shade. The leaves reach 70 cm in diameter, and the massive petiole can stretch 120 cm. It blooms in April-May, attracting many bees, and the fleshy leaves summer season serve as food for caterpillars of butterflies of such families as Swallowtails, Swallowtails, and Dippers.
Compound
The composition of the leaves, roots and peduncles includes a few alkaloids, flavonoids (astragalin, quercetin, isoquercitrin), petazine and its derivatives, triterpene saponins, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (petazole esters), carotene and vitamin C, as well as resins, mucus, bitterness, tannins, stearin, inulin, choline, essential oils, tannins and organic acids. There is a lot of manganese, especially in the leaves.
Medicinal properties
Thanks to a fair amount disinfectant components, hybrid butterbur is traditionally used as an expectorant, analgesic, anthelmintic and antispasmodic.
Medicinal use
Since ancient times, hybrid butterbur has been recognized as an effective anti-rheumatic - compresses with gruel from fresh leaves wrap sore spots for arthritis, gout, rheumatism. The same is done in cases of traumatic injuries to joints and tendons, fractures, wounds skin and edema of various origins. Aqueous solutions block cough during acute respiratory illness, bronchitis, tracheitis, relieve swelling of the throat affected by tonsillitis or pharyngitis.
Petasin and S-petasin esters in modern pharmaceutical preparations successfully combat allergic reactions and migraines. As a component medicinal collection, hybrid petasites fights anacid gastritis - the third phase of the disease, when, due to a disruption of the enzyme system and weakening of the mucous membrane, the acid-forming activity of the stomach stops.
Recipes
Gargling (sore throat, ARVI):
2 tsp. Dried hybrid butterbur roots pour 1 cup of boiling water. Cool. Add 3 drops 5% alcohol solution Yoda. Rinse 2 times a day - morning and evening.
Remedy for constipation:
1 tsp. Place crushed petasites roots in a gauze knot or infuser clamp, dip in ½ cup of hot linseed oil, and heat for 15-20 minutes in a steam bath. Remove the roots. Squeeze 2 cloves of garlic into the oil. Divide the mixture into 3 doses throughout the day.
Infusion (anti-heat and fever, diuretic, anthelmintic):
2 tsp. leaves for 1 cup of boiling water, leave in a warm place for at least an hour, strain the liquid, add 1 tbsp. l. honey. Take 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day.
Contraindications
The presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can cause serious poisoning,
Butterbur – herbaceous perennial from the Asteraceae family. It is also known under the names “podbel”, “mother plant”, “gum root”, “royal root”, “plague grass”. Distributed from Far East before middle zone Russia. Majority decorative varieties grow outside the Russian Federation, which does not prevent you from growing your favorite variety in any garden of a temperate or subarctic climate. Distinctive feature butterbur are large embossed leaves with soft bristles. The plant is used to decorate gardens and the banks of reservoirs. Some varieties are also used in folk medicine. Caring for butterbur in open ground is not difficult. Even a novice gardener can grow dense thickets.
Botanical characteristics
Butterbur – exotic herbaceous perennial. It has a long fibrous root that grows horizontally and is located close to the soil surface. IN natural conditions the stem of the butterbur reaches a height of 30-200 cm. Scale-like sessile leaves are located along the entire length of the thick shoot. The winding trunk grows immediately after the snow melts. Its top is decorated with a dense corymbose or paniculate inflorescence. It consists of many small white-green, yellowish or dirty purple flowers. Tubular and reed corollas bloom in mid-spring. After the flowering period ends, the stem continues to grow.
At the end of May, large leaves appear from the ground on long, massive petioles. Leaf plate has a heart shape. The edges of the leaf can be whole, serrated or dissected. On the reverse side, and sometimes on the front side, there is thick felt pubescence. The maximum leaf width is 1.5 m. The strong petiole can reach a width of 5-6 cm.
After pollination, several single-seeded capsules with a large tuft ripen on the stem. Ripening is completed in June, after which the seeds are dispersed by wind or water.
Types and varieties of butterbur
There are 20 species recorded in the butterbur genus. The most popular of them:
A herbaceous perennial up to 60 cm high, it has a reddish scaly stem. At the top of the shoot, a racemose inflorescence of gray-purple tubular flowers blooms. In June, large, heart-shaped, bright green leaves appear. They are covered with soft bristles and exude a sharp, not very nice smell. The leaf diameter is 60-70 cm.
The plant is 30-70 cm high and has a dense scaly stem of green-burgundy color. Reddish tubular flowers are grouped into baskets, which, in turn, are in a spike-shaped inflorescence. The round, kidney-shaped foliage is densely covered with gray hair. The width of its leaves reaches 70 cm. The leaves are located on thick, erect petioles up to 1.2 m long.
In early April, dense greenish-pink columns grow from the ground. They are crowned with cylindrical baskets with white or yellowish flowers. The large, triangular, heart-shaped foliage has irregularly serrated edges and is dark green in color. Leaves up to 80 cm wide are located on petioles 1 m long. On the reverse side and along the veins on the front surface they are densely pubescent.
Reproduction methods
Butterbur is propagated by seeds and vegetative ways. Seeds can be sown in autumn or spring in open ground, and seedlings can also be grown. For seedling method sowing is carried out in early February in boxes with sand and peat soil. The seeds are well moistened and covered with film. The crops should be ventilated and sprayed daily. Shoots appear within 1-3 weeks. When 2 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in separate pots. At the end of May, you can plant the grown plants in open ground. Seedlings are expected to flower 3-4 years after planting.
Butterbur reproduces quite easily by cuttings of root. The procedure is best carried out in September. Spring division is not always successful. It is only necessary to separate a section 5-7 cm long. It is immediately planted in a new place and watered abundantly. Before the autumn cold snap, the rhizome will grow and form buds, and in the spring the first shoots will appear.
Plant care
Butterbur is easy to care for, but requires careful selection habitat. It prefers proximity to a body of water and moist soils. It is advisable to find an area in partial shade, but it is also possible in full shade. Occasional direct hits sun rays on leaves is allowed, but not during midday hours.
The rhizome of the plant is quite aggressive. It takes easily large areas. To avoid having to fight for territory later, they dig into the ground when planting. plastic panels to a depth of 60-80 cm.
The soil for butterbur must be fertile and have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The plant is undemanding to soil density. It can develop on both light and clay soils. In the first years of life, seedlings are modest in size. To prevent weeds from interfering with their development, it is recommended to do periodic weeding.
Butterbur is a frost-resistant plant. It winters up to the subarctic zone without shelter. The ground part dies off in the fall. It must be cut down to the ground. After the flowers wither, it is recommended to trim the flower stalks to prevent uncontrolled self-seeding.
The plant develops best when high humidity, so coastal specimens will always be larger. Butterbur will also have to be watered frequently, because large foliage evaporates a lot of moisture. In extreme heat, the leaves may droop, but by evening they regain their previous shape.
IN regular feeding the plant does not need. In early spring, you can mulch the soil with compost or peat. This will be enough for active growth and flowering.
Pobel does not suffer from plant diseases, but slugs and caterpillars love it. Perhaps they are attracted to dampness, which is necessary for plant growth. To prevent the leaves from becoming covered with unsightly holes, you will have to use insecticides.
Beneficial features
Scientists have discovered organic acids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids and essential oils in butterbur leaves and roots. Decoctions are used as an effective expectorant, diuretic, antispasmodic and anthelmintic. They help calm nerves and combat hypertension at an early stage of the disease.
Fresh crushed leaves are applied to wounds and inflammations on the skin. They relieve pain, stop bleeding and destroy infection. An ointment with the addition of leaves is applied to problem areas skin to get rid of acne and boils.
Taking medications based on butterbur is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, children, and people with low blood pressure. It should also be taken into account that the use of decoctions leads to a sharp decrease in blood sugar levels.
Attention! Alkaloids contained in the roots and petioles are toxic. If consumed regularly, they cause liver cancer and other serious diseases. internal organs. For this reason, it is very important to follow the dosage and coordinate treatment with your doctor.
Butterbur in cooking
Young flower stalks and leaves of the cold butterbur and Japanese butterbur varieties are used in cooking. They are boiled, fried, pickled and eaten raw. The product tastes like celery or rhubarb. Butterbur dishes can be found in Japanese restaurants. They are used to make sushi. In some countries, the plant is grown as a fodder crop.
Use in the garden
Very beautiful and large leaves attract a lot of attention. This exotic plant The owners and all the neighbors will like it. It is only important to organize the planting correctly and limit the habitat of the butterbur, so as not to fight with its shoots later.
Dense thickets will hide outbuildings, fences or other places that need camouflage. The plant is suitable for decoration coastal zone. It also inhibits the growth of weeds, so the need to weed the area will gradually disappear.
The best neighbors for butterbur are elecampane, hogweed, comfrey, rhubarb, as well as spreading deciduous shrubs and large trees.
(Petasites)- a genus of perennials herbaceous plants, belonging to the Astrov family (Asteraceae). Includes about 20 species, distributed mainly in temperate climate Northern Hemisphere. Two species are found in the European part of Russia. Most often they grow along the banks of water bodies, in damp and marshy places.The genus owes its name to the broad large leaves, shaped like a horse's hoof print.
Plant height is from 30 to 150 cm, depending on the species. It is rare to find two-meter plants. The rhizome is powerful, creeping, cord-like, up to 1.5 m long. The shoots are succulent and thick, covered with scaly, filmy stem-encompassing 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. men's and female flowers are formed on different plants. Flowering occurs in April - early May before the basal leaves bloom. The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish or pinkish in color. At the end of flowering, the shoots stretch out, reaching their maximum height, and fruits with seeds are set, and then 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 scutes. 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 clumps that look great in the garden, decorating uneven, empty, well-moistened places. In addition to the natural appearance, there are varieties - the variegated "Variegata" with creamy, uneven strokes and "Purpureus" - with a reddish tint to the petioles and foliage blades.
In size it is inferior to the broad butterbur, but in general it is similar to 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 look hybrid origin – hybrid butterbur (Petasites hybridus), widespread in Russia in lowlands, damp ravines and along river banks. It is distinguished by elongated racemose inflorescences, in which the baskets are off-white or Pink colour enclosed in purple wrappers. The flowering stem with leaves has a purple tint, which is then present in the color of the petioles and veins of the leaves. The leaves are gray-tomentose-pubescent, young - on both sides, then only on the underside. People have other names for this butterbur: maternik, royal root, king grass, burdock, podbel, plague grass. Possesses medicinal properties, used in folk medicine.
Smooth butterbur, or radiant(Petasites radiatus), previously called nardosmia smooth - wild plant Central Europe, the Urals and Siberia, up to 60 cm tall with medium-sized leaves and corymbose inflorescences of greenish-white baskets, surrounded by sparse 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 open to the sun. The main thing is to provide the plants with enough moisture. However, butterbur gives preference to shaded, damp lowlands. The best place for it is on the shore of a garden pond and in shallow water up to 40 cm deep. Here it 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 fairly fertile.
Care consists of timely watering of those plants that are planted in open sunny areas away from bodies of water. To prevent self-seeding, it is recommended to cut off faded inflorescences. Often there is a need to restrain the growth of clumps with the help of wide plastic tapes or special root stops made of thick mesh. Young butterbur leaves are attacked by slugs, which should be avoided preventive actions– lay out traps, periodically sprinkle the ground under the plants with irritating ash, superphosphate, and ground red pepper.
Butterbur is propagated by cuttings, leaf buds with a piece of rhizome or segments of the rhizomes themselves, which are transplanted directly to permanent place. Ripe seeds can also be used, although this method is rarely used when propagating this fast-growing plant.
If your garden has large empty areas, uncultivated banks of a pond, or you just like the lush greenery of large-leaved plants, plant butterbur - it will transform your garden in no time. a short time and with minimal costs labor on your part.