Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara
Table of Contents
Coltsfoot is one of the first wildflowers to appear during the year, and with the flowers appearing before the leaves, it is sometimes referred to as ‘Son before father’. A plant with culinary and medicinal uses.
Plant family: Asteraceae
Aliases: Bull foot, colt herb, horse foot
Flowering period: March – April
Flower colour: Yellow
Preferred soil type: Most types, moist
Habitat: Pond margins, river banks, verges
Status: Common
General information
Coltsfoot is a low growing, herbaceous, perennial wildflowers and one of the seasons first plants to show. It’s a member of the daisy family and prefers to grow on undernourished, moist soils, around water courses, roadside verges, hedgerows, field perimeters, bare ground and waste areas, favouring sunny locations.
The bright yellow flowers are the first to show, sometimes as early as February, with the leaves appearing just prior to the end of the flowering period, usually during in mid – late April. This has led a lot of people to think that the flowers and leaves were two separate plants.
Coltsfoot spreads aggressively via underground runners (rhizomes) and can become out of control, if given the chance. It usually grows no more than 20cm in height.
Identification
Flowers: The flowers are bright yellow and similar to those of the dandelion, A small number of disc florets are surrounded by many ray florets, with the flower head measuring between 20 – 30mm across.
The flowers are borne on erect, reddish, scaly stems, and like dandelions the flowers form a ‘clock’, with each individual seed having their own parachute, helping them travel and spread in the wind.
Leaves: The leaves appear separately once flowering has finished, they are triangular to heart shaped, often irregularly toothed. They grow up to 20cm long and are slightly down below and extremely downy above.
Value for wildlife
Coltsfoot is hermaphrodite (is both male and female) and is pollinated by Bees and hoverflies.
Uses for coltsfoot
All parts of this plant are edible, but most have an unpleasant bitter flavour. The young flowers and buds, however, have a pleasant aniseed flavour and add an aromatic flavour to salads.
Coltsfoot has been used for the treatment of a wide range of chest complaints, including bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough and catarrh.
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