About Petasites albus (L.) Gaertn.
Petasites albus (L.) Gaertn. is a perennial rhizomatous herb. It produces large, almost round (suborbicular) leaves covered in loose, cottony hairs. Its flower heads form compact racemes of composite flowers (capitula) that have white ligules. This species is dioecious, and male plants are often more common than female plants, which is the case across its range in Britain. The native range of Petasites albus covers the mountain regions of central Europe and the Caucasus. It was first recorded in Skåne, Sweden, in 1737, as documented by Nordstedt in 1920. In the British Isles, it is a neophyte: it was introduced by the 17th century, had naturalized in Yorkshire by 1843, and is now found predominantly in northeast Scotland. This species prefers damp soils, and grows in deciduous forests, mountain pastures, springs, streamsides, roadside verges, and other areas of rough ground.
