Colt's-foot

Tussilago farfara

• Broad, simple triangular shaped leaves, which appear after flowering
   
• Small, yellow, daisy-like compound flowers on an erect scaly stem in the spring.
   

Where found

Absolutely anywhere. It’s considered a weed and springs up in almost any soil, from dune to wasteland, roadside to hedgerow.
 

When to look for

• All year round for the leaves
    
• February-April for the flowers

Fabulous colt's-foot facts

• The name 'tussilago' means 'cough suppressant'. Historically the plant has been used to alleviate lung ailments such as asthma and coughs
  
  
• For many centuries, beer made from the bitter leaves of colt's-foot was brewed as a remedy for coughs
  
  
• Dried coltsfoot is often used as a tobacco alternative
  
  
• Colt's-foot rock, a confectionary product developed in the 1920s by Stockley's Sweets of Oswaltwhistle, has become a favourite medicinal sweet around the world
  
  
• Colt's-foot is now known to contain alkaloids that are harmful to the human liver
  
  
• It is a food plant for some lepidoptera species including The Gothic and Small Angle Shades moths