Swiss Mountain Leader

common butterbur, Petasites hybridus, April-May, 15-150cm high

I hadn’t realized until I was reading an article the other day that this was a member of the same family as coltsfoot apparently, there’s a vague resemblance though maybe.

This was growing in some quantity up near the Grand Muveran when I was over there in early May. I was surprised to see it growing out of these stones really, the ground below must be fairly damp and rich to support the plant. It’s been known as Bog rhubarb and Pestilence wort, the latter as like so many other plants it was wrongly thought to be a cure for bubonic plague which speaks to what a desperate time that was.

see also : White Butterbur on SwissMountainLeader

Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) perennial, March-May, 10-25 high

This plant is only visible for a short while, after it’s flowered and the fruits have ripened the plant withdraws its upper parts staying below ground until spring. There’s a variation in the number of petals between 6 and 8.

The plant can spread using seeds but it also uses an extensive root system shooting stems up over an area. If you see a group of these flowers it’s highly likely it’s a single individual

Mezereon (Daphne Mezereum)
perennial shrub, March-April, 40-120cm high

This plant is also known as “tormented throat” as it contains toxins that inflame the throat, even a few berries can cause fatalities and the juice of the berries can cause rashes and blisters. It’s interesting though that wagtails and thrushes can eat the berries without ill-effect and do so spitting out the kernels.