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Invasive Species: Butterbur
Butterbur
Also called Butterfly Dock or Pestilence Wort
(Petasites hybridus)
*Detected in Michigan*
IDENTIFICATION
- Perennial, herbaceous flowering plant grows to 6 feet.
- Simple, round to heart-shaped leaves are 1-2 feet across, with dense hairs on the underside.
- Single leaves grown on hollow, ridged, 3-4 foot stems somewhat similar in appearance to rhubarb.
- Flowers are pink to purple and grow on a spike that emerges before foliage in spring.
- Fruit and seeds appear in a white, flower-like tuft.
REPORT THIS SPECIES
Use the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) online reporting tool.
- Or - download the MISIN smartphone app and report from your phone.
Michigan DNR
Photo courtesy of William M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management International, Bugwood.org.
Photo courtesy of William M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management International, Bugwood.org.
SPECIES INFORMATION
Habitat: Found in shaded areas with moist soil, including river banks, shorelines, wetland edges, forested floodplains and roadside ditches.
Native Range: Europe, Russia and Turkey.
U. S. Distribution: New York to Ohio; Illinois, Michigan and Washington.
Local Concern: Butterbur spreads easily by rhizomes or rhizome fragments. Large leaves shade out other vegetation, leaving bare earth beneath.