Question
unkn plant
This grows in Portland zone 8 OR on north side of house next to small pond with liner; full shade. Seems to tolerate dry conditions if not watered. Leaves drop in fall; multiple white flowers appear on thick short stalks something like cauliflower in late winter before leaves appear. Sorry, no flower pic. Has thick rizomes near soil surface. Leaves are up to 18" across. Harmless spikes on leaves, see pic. Each celery-like stalk has just one leaf.
AnswerHi Tim,
Thanx for the great picture. That pretty much nailed it for me. I have this plant in my yard too and it was given to me by a gardening friend. It is somewhat invasive here in Kansas City so I imagine it must be very invasive in Oregon. I believe this plant is Petrasites hybridus also known as butter burr or dinosaur food. Here's a link.
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?where-taxon=Petasites+hybridus
I hope this helps.
Tom
P.S. (04/14/2009) - Yes Tim, I totally agree it could be P. japonicus!
