Tussilago farfara - Herbaceous Plants,Medicinal Herbs,Perennial,Wildflowers - Coltsfoot Page

Tussilago farfara, commonly referred to as Coltsfoot, is a yellow-flowering perennial herbaceous plant that spreads by seeds and rhizomes. The flowers appear on leafless stems in early spring, resembling a cross between dandelion and small yellow daisy. The plant is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but it has been naturalized in North America. The plant can grow to a height of 10-30 cm and has attractive lobed roundish leaves. It might make a good groundcover for a rough area, but it can become a pest since it spreads vigorously. The fresh leaves can be eaten if it gets too rampant, and the dried leaves are used in medicines. However, the plant contains toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can cause liver health concerns. A clonal plant of Coltsfoot that is free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids has been developed in Austria and Germany, resulting in the registered variety Tussilago farfara 'Wien,' which has no detectable levels of these alkaloids. Coltsfoot has been used in herbal medicine and consumed as a food product in some confectionery products such as Coltsfoot Rock. It is also used as a food plant by some species of Lepidoptera larvae, including the gothic and small angle shades.