Coltsfoot

Tussilago farfara

Plant Data

Order:

Asterales

Family:

Asteraceae (Daisy)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

Yellow, many petals

Solitary with bright yellow disc and ray florets, up to 1.5cm. The flowers are borne on long, scaly stems which rise straight from the ground. The undersides of the flower are covered in white woolly hairs. Flowers appear long before the leaves appear.

Fruit:

A conspicuous dandelion-like, white pappus.

Leaves:

The leaves are round, heart-shaped or polygonal. The flowers die back before the emergence of the first leaves.

Maximum Size:

15 centimetres tall

Foraging Notes:

The flowers and leaves are edible and can be added to salads. The leaves are bitter so are best washed and boiled first. Tea can be made from the dried leaves and flowers. Young leaves can be added to soups and stews.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Other Names:

Ass's Foot, British Tobacco, Bull's Foot, Claywort, Cleats, Colt-herb, Coughwort, Dove-duck, Farfara, Field Hove, Flower Velure, Foal's Foot, Foalswort, Ginger, Ginger Root, Gowan, Hoofs, Horse Foot, Horsehoof, Sowfoot, Tash Plant.

Frequency (UK):

Abundant

Habitats:

Ditches, farmland, grassland, riverbanks, roadsides, seaside, swamps, wasteland, wetland, woodland.