Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Description

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is a herbaceous perennial plant (invasive plant atlas) that spreads low to the ground creating a canopy across the soil (iucn gisd). Its large basal leaves are heart shaped (invasive plant atlas) and covered by a toothed margin (nrs.fs) that can grow up to 6 inches wide, (invasive plant atlas). The underside of the leaves are covered in white fuzzy hairs, while the tops are smooth and have a wax-like appearance (iucn gisd). There is no main stem (iucn gisd) but the leaves are connected to the plant with long stems and petioles that range between 10-20cm (iucn gisd). Although the leaves are dark green, the stems and veins are purple (iucn gisd). Before the leaves emerge in late june to mid-july (iucn gisd), there are bright yellow flowers that bloom and resemble dandelions (invasive plant atlas).They bloom in early spring and are able to push through snow in northern areas Each single flower is between 1-1.5 cm in diameter and is surrounded by involucral bracts with rows of pistillate flowers in ray florets and five stamens. edible wild food

Range and Habitat

Coltsfoot is native to Europe, as well as western Asia and northwestern Africa. It can spread to Siberia, the Arctic circle and the Himalayas (fs.fed). They naturally prefer distrubed, wet clay areas like along roadsides and floodplain forests.(edible wild food) They can also be found along riverbanks and shorelines.(fs.fed). Although non-native to North America, Coltsfoot can be found throughout eastern United States and Southern Canada(fs.fed) due to its ability to aggressively spread. (nrs) It can be traced in America back to 1840 and was most likely introduced for medicinal purposes by Eruoeans. ( fs.fed)

Name & Taxonomy

Apart from its common name, Coltsfoot is also referred to as coughwort,horsefoot, foalfoot and clayweed. (hort)

Kingdom: Plantae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Tussilago L. Species: Tussilago farfara L. (ITIS)

Herbal & Medicinal uses

The most common use for Coltsfoot is to relieve respiratory problems such as coughing, asthma and bronchitis. (nrs) This is due to the mucilage, bitter glycosides and tannins in the plant that contribute to the anti-inflammatory and antitussive benefits.(edible wild food). There are multiple ways to use Coltsfoot including smoking the leaves, making the unopened flowers and leaves into herbal teas (iucn), and syrups( nrs). Coltsfoot can also be made into decoctions for external application on sores and rashes (iucn),