![MyWildflowers homepage - wildflowers from the hiking and biking trails of America wildflower logo](images/2012logo.gif)
Identify >
Matching characteristics >
Detail
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Image ID: sc31
Permalink:
myWildflowers.com/detail.asp?photo=sc31
![](/images/zoom.png)
Introduced
Family:
Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Height: 0.25 to 1.5 ft.
Blooms: February to
June
Leaf Type:
toothed
Bloom Size: 1 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Individual flowers,
Parts indistinct
Location: Sandy Creek Trail
Date: 4/5/2003
More photos of this flower
Coltsfoot may be
easily confused with:
- Common Dandelion
Dandelion stems are hollow with milky sap. Coltsfoot stems have reddish scales.
Folklore, History, and Other Facts
The following information is taken from my great-grandmother's copy of
The Herbalist (1918).
This information is presented for historic purposes only, as many remedies recommended by this book
are toxic!
![page 1](herbology/133_1.jpg)
![page 2](herbology/133_2.jpg)
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
![The Herbalist](images/herbbook.jpg)