Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Common Names: Coughwort, horsehoof, son-before-father, British tobacco, foal's foot

Description:

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is a low perennial from Europe and Asia, brought to North America long ago as a medicinal herb [1][2]. It is one of the earliest plants to bloom in spring ? bright yellow, dandelion-like flowers on scaly stalks appear before any leaves show [1]. MISIN tracks it because it spreads by creeping underground roots and wind-blown seed into large patches that crowd out native plants in moist, disturbed places like stream banks, ditches, and roadsides [1][2].

Habit:

Coltsfoot is easiest to recognize in very early spring by a quirk in its timing ? the flowers come up well before the leaves, an order captured by its old name "son-before-father" [1]. Each stout, scaly, woolly stalk carries a single bright yellow flower head that looks like a small dandelion, blooming as early as March [1]. Only after the flowers fade and set fluffy, dandelion-like seed heads do the leaves appear: large, rounded, hoof-shaped leaves (up to about 6 inches wide) on long stalks, smooth and dark green on top but covered in white wool underneath [1].

So there are two good times to find it: very early spring for the leafless yellow flowers, and later in the season for the patches of big, white-backed, hoof-shaped leaves in damp, disturbed ground [1]. Unlike a dandelion, coltsfoot blooms before its leaves and its flower stalk is scaly and woolly rather than smooth (see Similar Species) [1].

At-a-glance cues:

1. Bright yellow, dandelion-like flowers on scaly, woolly stalks in very early spring, before any leaves appear [1]
2. Large, rounded, hoof-shaped leaves up to about 6 inches wide, appearing after the flowers [1]
3. Leaf underside covered in white, wool-like hairs; top smooth and dark green [1]
4. Grows in spreading patches in moist, disturbed ground; fluffy dandelion-like seed heads [1]

Leaves:

1. Arrangement: all basal (rising from the underground roots on long stalks); no leaves on the flower stalk [1]
2. Timing: leaves appear after the flowers, not with them [1]
3. Shape: rounded to heart- or hoof-shaped, up to about 6 inches (15 cm) wide, with shallowly toothed or angled edges [1]
4. Surface: smooth, dark green and almost waxy on top; covered in white, wool-like hairs underneath [1]

Stems:

1. Habit: low perennial with no leafy above-ground stem; flowering stalks rise directly from the roots [1]
2. Flower stalks: stout, grayish-green, woolly, and covered in small reddish-purple scales (bracts) [1]
3. Roots: extensive deep, creeping underground stems (rhizomes) that send up new shoots and form colonies [1][2]

Flowers:

1. Color: bright yellow [1]
2. Form: a single composite head per stalk, like a small dandelion, with many narrow ray florets [1]
3. Arrangement: one head atop each scaly stalk, appearing before the leaves [1]
4. Bloom time: very early spring, often March to April [1]

Fruit and seeds:

1. Fruit: small dry seeds (achenes), each with a white, fluffy plume (pappus) ? forming a dandelion-like seed head [1]
2. Dispersal: seeds blow on the wind to new ground [1]
3. Main spread: more by creeping rhizomes than by seed ? even a root fragment can grow a new plant [1][2]

Habitat:

Coltsfoot grows in moist, open or partly shaded, disturbed ground. It is common on stream banks, ditches, roadsides, gravelly slopes, road cuts, and field edges, and it often pioneers bare or recently disturbed soil, including heavy clay [1][2]. It tolerates poor soils and disturbance well, which helps it colonize new openings quickly [1].

The plant is native to Europe and Asia [1][2]. It was carried to North America by early settlers as a medicinal herb and has naturalized across the northeastern United States and beyond, where it spreads in moist, disturbed habitats [1][2]. It is not native anywhere on this continent [2].

Reproduction:

Coltsfoot spreads in two ways, and the roots matter most. It builds extensive, deep systems of creeping underground stems (rhizomes) that send up new shoots and widen a patch on their own ? and any rhizome piece left in the soil, or carried on tools or in moved dirt, can grow a new plant [1][2]. It also makes wind-blown, dandelion-like seeds that start new patches farther away [1].

It is a perennial that flowers very early in spring, sets fluffy seed, then puts out leaves ? and regrows from its roots each year [1]. For control, this changes the approach: because rhizome fragments resprout, digging or tilling an established patch can spread it, so the goal is to remove the whole root system from small patches, cut and bag flower heads before the seeds blow, and keep after regrowth over several seasons (see Management) [1][2].

Impact and Damage:

Coltsfoot is mostly a problem for natural areas and disturbed land rather than a direct danger to people, though note that it contains liver-toxic compounds (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) and is no longer considered safe to eat despite its old medicinal use ? keep it away from grazing animals and don't consume it [2]. In the garden or yard it is a persistent spreader on damp, bare ground [1].

For natural areas, the concern is its creeping growth. Coltsfoot forms large clonal colonies that crowd out native plants and lower plant diversity, especially along streams and in other moist, disturbed habitats where it can become dominant [1][2]. Because it spreads underground and resprouts from root pieces, a small patch can expand steadily and persist for years once established [1].

Similar species:

A couple of plants are commonly confused with coltsfoot.

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) has nearly identical yellow flowers and fluffy seed heads, but its flower stalk is smooth, slender, and hollow, its leaves are present at flowering in a basal rosette, and it blooms with its leaves rather than before them.

Butterbur / sweet coltsfoot (Petasites spp.) are close relatives with similarly large, rounded, white-backed leaves, but their early-spring flower clusters are whitish to pink rather than the single bright yellow dandelion-like head of coltsfoot.

Monitoring and rapid response:

Signs to watch for:

1. Bright yellow, dandelion-like flowers on scaly, woolly stalks in very early spring, before any leaves appear [1]
2. Later in the season, patches of large, hoof-shaped leaves that are white-woolly underneath, in moist disturbed ground [1]
3. Fluffy dandelion-like seed heads, and patches widening year to year along streams, ditches, and roadsides [1][2]

What you can do:

1. For a small patch, dig out the whole plant including the deep, creeping roots ? remove every root piece, because fragments resprout [1][2].
2. Do not rototill an established patch ? chopping the rhizomes spreads the pieces and makes it worse [1][2].
3. Cut and bag the flower heads before the fluffy seeds form and blow away, and smother small patches; plan to return for regrowth [1].
4. Natural area crews can clear patches over repeat visits, smother or remove rhizomes, prioritize outlying patches and seed sources along waterways, and monitor for root regrowth over several years [1].
5. Report sightings (below) to help track where this plant is spreading [1].

When to call a professional:

1. Large or well-established patches with extensive deep rhizomes that keep resprouting, where digging can't keep up ? a land manager or licensed applicator can plan a multi-season approach [1].
2. For chemical control options, contact a licensed applicator or your local cooperative extension office.

Report sightings to MISIN. Help track this species' spread by submitting observations through the MISIN web site or the MISIN mobile app (Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS). Photos at multiple angles paired with a precise GPS location are the most valuable data for confirming new occurrences and triggering rapid-response review.

Credits:

1. Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. European Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara). nwcb.wa.gov
2. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Global Invasive Species Database. Tussilago farfara. iucngisd.org
3. USDA NRCS PLANTS Database. Tussilago farfara L. (coltsfoot). plants.usda.gov

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