Colt's-foot

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 8 Apr 2014

These plants are in the area shown in Image The English name of the plant refers to the hoof-like shape of the leaf. This species is similar to Image in that the plant is long past flowering by the time the leaf is fully developed, and in that the leaf starts off with a felt-like covering. This is an early-flowering species, common on disturbed ground in many different habitats. The scientific name for Colt's-foot is Tussilago farfara. The generic name Tussilago comes from Pliny's Natural History, book 26, chapter 16. There Pliny, in Latin, mentions "Bechion, also known as Tussilago" (Bechion tussilago dicitur), although his use of the name does not, by itself, prove that his "Tussilago" is to be identified with the present-day plant of that name. He goes on to say that the smoke of the dried plant, inhaled through a reed and swallowed, cures a chronic cough, though it is also necessary, he adds, to take a gulp of raisin wine ("passus") for each mouthful of smoke. "Bechion" is simply the Latin transliteration of a Greek plant-name (Βήχιον < βήξ = "a cough"), but "Tussilago" has an authentic Latin look about it ( < tussis, "a cough" + ago, "drive [out]"). The use of the plant in an attempt to cure coughs has continued up to recent times, although any procedure similar to the one described by Pliny would only make an existing cough worse.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0