butterbur

American  

[buht-er-bur] / ˈbʌt ərˌbɜr /

noun

1. any of several composite plants of the genus Petasites, having large, woolly leaves said to have been used to wrap butter.

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butterbur British  

/ ˈbʌtəˌbɜː /

noun

1. 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)

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Etymology

Origin of butterbur

First recorded in 1540–50; butter + bur ¹

Example Sentences

I tried an herbal remedy, a capsule that contained feverfew, butterbur and something else.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2021

The only blooms were a few early meadowsweet and a patch of pink butterbur.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

River and leat and back-water here ran clear among willow-clad islands, all fringed deep with meadow-sweet and comfrey and butterbur and melilot.

From At Large by Benson, Arthur Christopher

There is, however, something curious about this butterbur.

From Field and Hedgerow Being the Last Essays of Richard Jefferies by Jefferies, Richard

In Allan Water, near by where it falls into the Forth, we found a little sandy islet, overgrown with burdock, butterbur and the like low plants, that would just cover us if we lay flat.

From Kidnapped by Stevenson, Robert Louis