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The Akita sweet coltsfoot (Petasites japonicus ssp. giganteus) belongs to Asteraceae (the Aster family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed to Honshu, from Hokuriku district to Tohoku district, and Hokkaido in Japan, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. This herb grows on wettish places in mountains and fields, and the leaves grows to 1.5 m in diameter and the petioles grows to 2 m in length. The Akita sweet coltsfoot is used as food same as the Sweet coltsfoot. The butterbur sprout (young flower stalk) is borne in March to May, and the flower stalk grows up after flowering. It is dioecious and the only female plant will be bearing.
Incidentally, the Asian black bears are also fond of wild vegetables such as "thistle", "ezo-nyuu", "sweet coltsfoot", "miyama-irakusa (aiko)", and "uwabami-so (mizu)". Outside of the bamboo shoot season, they eat wild vegetables and succulent plants.
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