Giant Butterbur
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Petasites Species: P. japonicus
Binomial name
Petasites japonicus Maxim.

Fuki (Petasites japonicus), also known as bog rhubarb or giant butterbur, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Japan, where the spring growth is relished as a vegetable. Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Alseuosmiaceae Argophyllaceae Asteraceae - Daisies Calyceraceae Campanulaceae (incl. ... Diversity About 1500 genera and 23,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae... Species Petasites frigidus Petasites hybridus Petasites japonicus Petasites sagittatus Petasites speciosa Petasites X vitifolius Ref: ITIS 36053 The plants commonly referred to as Butterbur are found in the daisy family Asteraceae in the genus Petasites. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Diversity About 1500 genera and 23,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae...

The traditional preparation method for this vegetable involves pre-treating with salt and soaking in water, a technique known as itazuri, or removing harshness.

Like other Petasites, fuki contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which have been associated with cumulative damage to the liver. Species Petasites frigidus Petasites hybridus Petasites japonicus Petasites sagittatus Petasites speciosa Petasites X vitifolius Ref: ITIS 36053 The plants commonly referred to as Butterbur are found in the daisy family Asteraceae in the genus Petasites. ... Pyrrolizidine is a naturally occurring alkaloid, found in many of the plants in the Boraginaceae, Compositae, and Leguminosae families. ... An alkaloid is a nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and other animals. ...

External links

• Recipes from Yasuko-san's Home Cooking
• Traditional itazuri technique
• Journal of the National Cancer Institute abstract on the P. japonicus alkaloid, petasitenine