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Colt’s-foot
Edible 
Spring 
Summer 
Winter
A member of the daisy/dandelion family, Asteraceae, Colt’s-foot is mainly a medicinal plant but the young leaves can be boiled and then washed to temper the bitter taste and eaten as a green or dried and used as a condiment.
| Hedgerow Type | |
| Common Names | Colt’s-foot |
| Scientific Name | Tussilago farfara |
| Season Start | Jan |
| Season End | Jun |
Leaves
Green and roughly heart shaped but broadly scalloped with a finely toothed edge. The leaves are covered in a cobweb like fur that can be removed manually or by the elements. The leaves can grow to quite a size after the plant has flowered.
Flowers
Has thin yellow petals that can be red/orange towards the ends. The flowers start by hanging down from the stem but as they open, the flower stem will straighten, exposing the flower to the sun. The flowers appear before the leaves in about February.
Flower Stem
Off white with red pointed scales and covered in fine hairs. The flower stem is bent double until the flower opens.
Seeds
Has a clock of seeds a bit like a dandelion but with finer hairs and longer seeds.
Habitat
Disturbed soil, field edges, verges by the road and waste ground.
Possible Confusion
Once fully mature, the leaves are large enough to be mistaken for Butterbur but Colt’s-foot leaves are usually still covered or show evidence of the spiderweb like covering.
Taste
A tea made with dried flowers and leaves is said to taste similar to liquorice.
Frequency
Fairly common.
Medicinal Uses
Colt’s-foot has been used for coughs and lung disorders as a tea or sometimes the leaves are smoked like tobacco but how that could help a cough or lung disorder, I don’t know.
Other Facts
Tussilago means tussis in Latin, meaning cough, a reference to its medicinal properties.
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