Coltsfoot

You would think some old miser had stumbled while carrying away a sackful of hoarded sovereigns

and had sprawled the sacks contents to run like spilt and spinning coins from the sack's mouth.

Wild Flowers As They Grow - 1912

H Essenhigh Corke, G Clarke Nuttall

One of the pleasures of regular walks in the park is seeing the leaves emerge and trying to work out what flowers will emerge in the days or weeks to come. That approach doesn't quite work with Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) because, unusually, the flower precedes the appearance of the leaves and the leaves persist long after the flowers have disappeared. This is the reason for its other name - 'son before father'. Some ancient writers, Pliny for example, didn't even connect the leaves with the flowers.
Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara is a common early spring plant. It doesn't last long and sets seed quickly so it is best to enjoy it while it is around.  The drooping head of the flower pushes its way through the earth and fallen leaves left over from autumn. Then it unfolds to reveal a bright yellow flower with a superficial resemblance to a Dandelion. That is, it has a composite flower head and what you might think is a single flower is, in fact, an inflorescence made up of a myriad of florets each with their own petals and sex parts. Unlike the Dandelion where there is only a single type of floret, there are two types of floret in Coltsfoot. The outer long ray florets that are arranged around the circumference of the inflorescence and the smaller disc florets at the centre (see pictures below).
The stem which is strictly speaking a scape is about 6 inches high and covered with bracts arranged in a spiral fashion. Those bracts are tinged with purple and are covered with downy hairs. As the flower first begins to fade it's head droops and assumes a dependent position. Then, as it sets seed, it bolts upright gaining in height in order, it would seem, to aid wind dispersion of its seeds.

The leaves appear as the flower is fading and remain long after the flower has gone. Their function is to photosynthesise and the resultant sugars and starch are stored in bulbs underground that will enable the flower to make an early start once again the following year.

Coltsfoot Tusilago farfara pushes its way through the hard ground and leaf litter

Early season Coltsfoot flowers visible through the leaf litter

Inflorescence showing outer strap like ray florets and inner disc florets

As the flowers fade the heads droop 

The stems bolt upright and a white plume of pappus appears which serves to
disperse the seeds

Cotsfoot shaped leaves appear after the flowers have 'gone over'

Taxonomy

Coltsfoot belongs to the Asteraceae or Daisy family along with Dandelions, Daisies, Ragworts and numerous other genera of flowers. They are all characterised by a composite flower head (hence the old family name Compositeae). What you might think is a single flower is, in fact, an inflorescence made up of a myriad of smaller florets or little flowers.

Coltsfoot is the only accepted member of the genus Tussilago.

Where to Find Coltsfoot in Leazes Park

Coltsfoot crops up in numerous locations and I seem to find the leaves more often than the flowers. So much so that I wonder if the leaves sometimes put in an appearance without the flowers ever appearing. If you want to see the flowers the best time is in February and March. The wild area at the north end of the park where there was a tennis court in Edwardian times is particularly good. I also find them growing in the gaps of the stone-block border of the lake.