Colt’s-foot  (Tussilago farfara)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

Colt’s foot is one of the earliest flowers each spring. The alternative name ‘son-before-father’ refers to the fact that the bright yellow flowers held on purplish woolly shoots are often present before the leaves (4) (5). The large leaves with their thick felt-covered undersides occur in rosettes (2). They are similar in shape to animal hooves, hence the names colt’s or foal’s-foot. The scientific name Tussilago derives from the latin for ‘cough’ (Tussis), and hints at the widespread smoking of the dried leaves in folk-medicine to cure coughs (4) (5). It is still smoked in some areas today as herbal tobacco, and the names ‘baccy plant’ and ‘poor-man’s-baccy’ survive in some parts of Britain (4).

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