butterbur
[buht-er-bur]
- any of several composite plants of the genus Petasites, having large, woolly leaves said to have been used to wrap butter.
Origin of butterbur
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for butterbur
Historical Examples
As an instance of his manner we may cite his account of the Butterbur, of which his wood-cut is shown in Text-fig.
Herbals, Their Origin and EvolutionAgnes Arber
So, too, the butterbur of the river flowers before its great leaf comes.
Field and HedgerowRichard Jefferies
The flower of Butterbur, he writes, is the first to appear, before the plant or leaves.
Herbals, Their Origin and EvolutionAgnes Arber
Its chief haunts, among the butterbur (Petasites), are in the northern counties from Cheshire to Durham.
The Moths of the British Isles, First SeriesRichard South
butterbur
- a plant of the Eurasian genus Petasites with fragrant whitish or purple flowers, woolly stems, and leaves formerly used to wrap butter: family Asteraceae (composites)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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