Sweet Coltsfoot
Petasites frigidus
Thick clusters of white to pinkish flowers push up on scaly stalks before any leaf appears, making it one of the first things in bloom along northern streambanks. The bold, deeply lobed leaves that follow can span a foot and carry white felt beneath. Spreads strongly by rhizome in wet ground — give it room or a boundary.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1.5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist, wet
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- rain garden, groundcover, naturalizing
- Native states
- AK, CA, CO, CT, ID, MA, ME, MI, MN, MT, ND, NH, NY, OR, RI, SD, VT, WA, WI, WY