Coltsfoot Dry flowers Tussilago farfara

LATIN NAME: Tussilago farfara

COMMON NAME: Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot is the early, yellow flower of the damp banks, blooming before its own leaves. The small, dandelion-like, bright-yellow flowers open very early in the spring on the short, scaly stems, and the large, hoof-shaped, felted leaves follow after the flowers fade, spreading low over the moist ground. The plant has a long record of use in the old households, and it is one of the first and the cheeriest of the wayside flowers. It is a plant of the moist, open, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Coltsfoot has carved a quiet but solid place in the plant science, and the herb has been studied for the early, bright-yellow flowers and the large, hoof-shaped leaves that give the plant its name. The chemistry of the leaves and the flowers, which have a long record of use in the old practice of the households, has been looked at closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the traditional remedies and the early spring plants. The felted, hoof-shaped leaves and the scaly stems have also made it a curious garden plant, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the daisy family and the wayside flowers.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Coltsfoot does a lot of work in the early garden. The bright-yellow flowers are one of the first of the spring, feeding the early bees, and the large, hoof-shaped leaves spread low over the moist ground through the summer. The plant has a long record of use in the old households, and the modern science keeps a careful eye on the chemistry of the leaves, so the herb is best enjoyed as a fine, cheerful plant of the damp corner rather than a kitchen staple. It has been written up in the botanical and the herbal papers for the early flowers and the old uses, and it is a fine, easy plant of the moist, open garden.

Coltsfoot is one of the first flowers of the year, and the bright-yellow, dandelion-like heads open on the short, scaly stems before the large, hoof-shaped leaves spread over the ground. The felted leaves give the plant its old name, and the early flowers are a fine, cheerful sight on the damp banks of the spring.

To grow the coltsfoot from seed, sow the fine seeds at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, covering them thinly, keep them in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings thread up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the moist, well-drained ground, the bright-yellow flowers will open with the early spring.

Coltsfoot is one of the most widely used herbs for the treatment of coughs and other lung complaints.