Species

Tussilago farfara

Common Name(s)

coltsfoot

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Features

Herb with stout rootstock and rhizomes. Basal leaves glabrous on upper surface, moderately to densely lanate on lower; petiole hairy, > lamina, 3~35cm long; lamina reniform to suborbicular, cordate, acute, shallowly lobed and again denticulate, 3~20cm diam.; lobes with flat or concave sides. Infl. usu. appearing before leaves, erect, 5~30cm tall; cauline leaves > 10, ovate-triangular, entire, around 1cm long. Supplementary bracts 0~2. Involucral bracts approx. 20, linear- to ovate-oblong, 9~14mm long. Ray florets numerous, ligules yellow, linear, 3~5mm long. Achenes 3~5mm long. (- Webb et. al., 1988)

Similar Taxa

A low growing perennial mat forming plant (Regional Councils n.d.). A herb with a stout rootstock and rhizomes (Webb et. al. 1988). A plant with yellow flower heads (Webb et. al. 1988; Regional Councils n.d.). The leaves of the upper aerial part of the plant are egg-shaped to triangular with shallow lobes (Webb et. al. 1988).

Flowering

October

Flower Colours

Yellow

Year Naturalised

1975

Origin

Europe, N Africa, N&W Asia

Reason For Introduction
Agricultural

Life Cycle Comments
Perennial

This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010