Coltsfoot

A Coltsfoot flower.

Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara is an odd plant, found in chalky waste ground. It flowers early in the year, before its lookalike cousin the dandelion. The leaves, which I assume were thought to resemble the shape of a colt's hoof print, don't appear until after the flowers. It is native to here and I encounter it every now and then around the Touraine in the spring but apparently it can be a real nuisance and very difficult to eradicate in countries where it has been introduced.

The leaf is the rather angular heart-shaped one centre left.

Its scientific name gives you a clue that it was once considered of medicinal use. Tussilago is from the Latin meaning 'acting on coughs'. The dried leaves and flowers were smoked or taken infused in a syrup to relieve coughs, including asthma. Unfortunately, in modern times it was discovered to also contain a toxin which if taken in sufficient quantity can lead to liver damage, so it has been a bit discredited as a medicine, with at least one European country banning its sale as a herbal remedy unless from a specific cultivar known not to contain the toxic substance.

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Loire Valley Nature Updates: A new Habitat entry for Small Man-made Lakes (Etangs) has been added.