Tussilago Farfara, Colt's-foot



Common name:
Colt's-foot
Scientific name:
Tussilago farfara
Main flower color:
Range:
All across the UK
Height:
Up to 25 cm
Habitat:
Disturbed ground, fields, dry grassland, scree slopes; often clayish soils
Flowers:
Large, solitary flowerheads atop stems which lack leaves but do have blunt, appressed scales. Flowerheads, up to 35 mm in diameter, are formed of orange-yellow disc florets and many narrow, linear yellow ray florets, below which is a cup-shaped involucre lined by one row of equal-length phyllaries, coloured purplish-green, sparsely covered with tiny bristles. At the base are a few much shorter phyllaries
Leaves:
Triangular, with rounded corners, up to 20 cm across, lined by tiny teeth. Hairy above, felted below. Veins and margins are reddish. Leaves appear only after flowering
Season:
February to April
Rarity:
★★★★★