{"id":117626,"date":"2025-11-22T15:02:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T15:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/?p=117626"},"modified":"2025-11-24T08:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T08:30:47","slug":"coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/","title":{"rendered":"Coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara) Identification"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>Coltsfoot\/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Edible<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-117626 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/coltsfoot-shot-of-the-plant-in-situ-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-plant-in-situ-min-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-plant-in-situ-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-plant-in-situ-min-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-plant-in-situ-min-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-plant-in-situ-min-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/coltsfoot-plant-in-flower-shot-from-above-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-plant-in-flower-shot-from-above-min-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-plant-in-flower-shot-from-above-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-plant-in-flower-shot-from-above-min-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-plant-in-flower-shot-from-above-min-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-plant-in-flower-shot-from-above-min-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2025\/11\/22\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara-identification\/coltsfoot-shot-of-plant-in-early-spring-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-plant-in-early-spring-min-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-plant-in-early-spring-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-plant-in-early-spring-min-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-plant-in-early-spring-min-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-plant-in-early-spring-min-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h2><b>Common Names<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coltsfoot, Horse-hoof, bulls foot, foal&#8217;s wort and ass\u2019 foot, Son before the father.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Botanical Name<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tussilago Farfara<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Scientific Classification<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Kingdom<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 Plantae<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Order<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 Senecioneae\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Family<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 Asteraceae<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Physical Characteristics for Coltsfoot<\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Leaves<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaves appear later in the year in mid spring to early summer, they have basel \u2018hoof shaped\u2019 leaves with a waxy green top and a pale green underside covered in a white downy fluff. They can grow up to around 25 cm wide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117627\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-leaves-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Flowers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bright yellow flowers appear in early spring, measuring around 1.5 cm across. Very similar in appearance to that of a dandelion but with a series of small, erect scale-like stems, often with a greenish\/purple ting covered in white downy hairs . The flowers usually disappear well before the leaves begin to grow; this is where the name \u2018Son before the father\u2019 comes from.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117629\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-close-up-of-the-flower-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Seeds<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeds appearing as flowers start to die off around mid to late summer, similar in appearance to a smaller, squashed Dandelion clock. Each flower head will hold around 150 seed heads. Each plant can hold between 1500-2500 seeds in total.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117628\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-seed-head-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Roots<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a perennial plant , it spreads through underground root systems. They can be very brittle and can regrow from the tiniest piece, making the plant notoriously robust and difficult to get rid of (not that you would want to mind you).<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_117633\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117633\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-117633 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-roots-min-300x259.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-roots-min-300x259.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-roots-min-150x130.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Coltsfoot-shot-of-the-roots-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-117633\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laval University, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>Habitat<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often found in exposed areas, with disturbed clay based soil. Very common in ditches, along gravel roads, forest path edges as well as cliff tops and landslides. Tolerating most harsh conditions well.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Known Hazards\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is debate on the toxicity of this plant due to the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids found in this plant; This can result in liver damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is suggested that you do not consume this plant in large quantities, or over long duration and should be avoided if pregnant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is recommended that you do not consume any part of this plant raw, particularly the root.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Could be Confused with<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Butterbur- this has a similar leaf shape but has much more round, scalloped edges. This has the same considerations as Coltsfoot does.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Edible Uses<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flowers- used as a dandelion flower alternation in cooked or fermented recipes- best used for wine!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stems- can be boiled or steamed as a vegetable similar to an asparagus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaves- these can be used as a salt alternative! Simply air dry the leaves, then roast until white in colour and powder like. This is an acquired taste, a little goes a long way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extracts of the leaves can also be used to make a very traditional rock, still sold at many seaside resorts in the UK to this day!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Notes on Herbal Uses<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a long history of Coltsfoot being used as a herbal remedy. traditionally dried and made into a tea or smoked as well as being freshly juiced for its medicinal properties; soothing coughs, asthma, colds and sore throats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies have shown anti-inflammatory properties in rodents; showing promising effects on gout, asthma and even prevention of cell damage in the brain. However there is insufficient evidence to suggest beneficial human applications.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Extra notes from the Foragers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stockley\u2019s Sweets in Lancashire is the only maker of Coltsfoot root across the world!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The flower of this plants is wonderful for early pollinators and the seed heads are a common nesting material for a variety of small birds including Goldfinchs<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><b>Reference List<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toffeeworld.co.uk\/product\/stockleys-coltsfoot-rock-sticks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Stockleys Coltsfoot Rock Sticks (toffeeworld.co.uk)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/nutrition\/coltsfoot#benefits\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Coltsfoot: Potential Benefits, Side Effects, and Dosage (healthline.com)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.songofthewoods.com\/coltsfoot-tussilago-farfara\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Coltsfoot &#8211; Tussilago Farfara: Edible &#038; Medicinal Uses of the Salt of Wild Plants &#8211; Song of the Woods<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/greg.app\/coltsfoot-edible\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Edible Parts of Coltsfoot: Ultimate Guide \ud83c\udf43 (greg.app)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardenersworld.com\/plants\/tussilago-farfara\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) | BBC Gardeners World Magazine<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coltsfoot\/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Edible Common Names Coltsfoot, Horse-hoof, bulls foot, foal&#8217;s wort and ass\u2019 foot, Son before the father. Botanical Name Tussilago Farfara Scientific Classification Kingdom \u2013 Plantae Order \u2013 Senecioneae\u00a0 Family \u2013 Asteraceae Physical Characteristics for Coltsfoot Leaves Leaves appear later in the year in mid spring&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":117629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1780,85,407,101,86,1776,1777],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-edible","category-foraging","category-medicinal","category-plant-identification","category-plants","category-spring","category-summer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117626"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138106,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117626\/revisions\/138106"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}