Ranges from Labrador to Alaska, from the tundra south to the northern Great Lakes region. First collected in Michigan by D. Henson in 1981 in Schoolcraft Co. Wet, open ground; ditches, swales between pine ridges, sedge fens.

Hybridizes with Petasites frigidus, producing intermediate plants that may be called P. ×vitifolius Greene. These are known from Alger, Chippewa, Ontonagon, and Schoolcraft Cos. In fact, the Alger Co. collection dates from 1951, 30 years before P. sagittatus itself was documented in Michigan.

Petasites sagittatus has been placed as a variety of P. frigidus, var. sagittatus (Pursh) Cherniawsky.. Because of their rather different distributions, and clear distinctness in Michigan, we keep P. frigidus and P. sagittatus separate.