Photographs: Co. Cork

Winter Heliotrope Petasites pyrenaicus (Petasites fragrans) Plúr na gréine Family: Asteraceae Flowering: December-March. Perennial. Introduced. Garden escape. Scented heads of lilac-pink flowers appear with the leaves in winter. The leaves are rounded to heart-shaped, toothed and paler green underneath. Height 10-25cm. Can be locally abundant on waste ground, roadsides, woodland and by streams. Introduced from NW Europe. Increasing. Similar: Butterbur, Petasites hybridus. Larger leaves appear after the flowers, growing to 60cm diameter. Native.

Winter Heliotrope, Petasites pyrenaicus (Petasites fragrans), Plúr na gréine