Petasites frigidus var. sagittatus (Banks ex Pursh) Cherniawsky
arrow-leaved coltsfoot
Asteraceae (Aster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Virginia Skilton     (Photo ID #9932)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Petasites frigidus var. sagittatus
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a creeping rhizome; stems erect, branched above, numerous, more or less white woolly-hairy, 10-50 cm tall; flowering stems appear before the leaves.
Leaves:
Basal leaves triangular on long stalks, shallowly to conspicuously toothed, usually with 20 or more teeth per side, white-woolly to nearly glabrous beneath, green and somewhat hairy above, 5-35 cm long including the stalk, 5-25 cm wide; stem leaves reduced to parallel-veined bracts, 1-8 cm long, reduced upwards, more or less white woolly-hairy.
Flowers:
Heads disciform or with ray and disk flowers, several to many in a round- to flat-topped inflorescence, stalks more or less white woolly-hairy; involucres 7-12 mm tall; involucral bracts oblanceolate to lanceolate, pointed, hairy basally with multicellular glandular hairs, the crosswalls often purple, margins translucent and often ragged; ray flowers few, whitish or pinkish, 6-10 mm long; disk flowers whitish.
Fruits:
Achenes 5-to 10-ribbed, glabrous; pappus of numerous white capillary bristles.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Petasites frigidus var. sagittatus

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
1102 30 2340
Slope Gradient (%)
4 0 300

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

226 1 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
6 2 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
338
Modal BEC Zone Class
MS

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

BAFA(1), BG(1), BWBS(42), CWH(1), ESSF(36), ICH(38), IDF(33), IMA(2), MH(1), MS(64), PP(4), SBPS(33), SBS(58), SWB(6)

Habitat and Range

Wet to moist bogs, fens and marshes in the montane to subalpine zones; common throughout BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; N to AK, YT and NT, E to PQ and S to WI, ID, CO and WA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Petasites dentatus Blank.
Petasites sagittatus (Banks ex Pursh) A. Gray