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Tussilago farfara

(Butterbur)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Bulgarian:

Podbjal

Common Names in Chinese:

Kuan Dong

Common Names in English:

Butterbur, Assfoot, British Tobacco, Bull's-Foot, Clayweed, Cleats, Colt-Herb, Colts Foot, Coltsfoot, Coughwort, Dove-Dock, Dummyweed, Foalfoot, Foot Colts, Ginger, Gingerroot, Gowan, Hoofs, Horsefoot, Horsehoof, Kuan Dong, Mat'-I-Machekha, Sowfoot, Tussilage

Common Names in Finnish:

Leskenlehti

Common Names in French:

Pas D´âne, Pas-D', Pas-D'âne, Tussilage Pas-D', Tussilage Pas-D'âne

Common Names in German:

Brandlattich, Dotterblume, Galitz, Gänseblümchen, Gänselchen, Gemeiner Huflattich, Gigelitzker, Grabenblatt, Hennenblume, Hufblatt, Huflattich, Huflattichblatt, Huflattichblume, Huflattigblätter, Krätenblume, Leiblatt, Leiblume, Lisker, Martilapu, Pestilenzwurzel, Podbal, Podbalblamtchi, Podbalblettchi, Roßhuf, Roßpappel, Stigelitzblam, Stigelitzker, Tschusgeblett, Wilder Salat

Common Names in Hungarian:

Békavirág, Hegyisaláta, Lókörmü Martilapú, Lókörmüfü, Martilapi, Martilapú, Mirigy Fü, Mostohalapú, Nagyides Lapú, Partilapú, Partivirág, Potyolat Szattyn, Szamárköröm

Common Names in Portuguese:

Tussilagem, Unha-De-Cavalo

Common Names in Romanian:

Bruscăniş, Brustan, Brustur Alb, Brustur De Rîu, Brustur Dulce, Brusturel, Cenuşoară, Cenuşoasă Albă, Gălbinele, Guşa Găinii, Lăpoşel, Limba Vecinei, Păpădie, Papalungă, Papapungă, Podbal, Podbeal, Podbeală, Podbel, Podbial, Podval, Polbal, Polbeag, Polbeal, Polbean, Popdeal, Porbeal, Potbal, Potval, Rotungioare

Common Names in Russian:

Mat-I-Mačecha, Podbeal, мат-и-мачецха

Common Names in Swedish:

Hästhov

Description

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Family Compositae

The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.

Tribe Senecioneae

The Senecioneae are a tribe of closely related genera that can be recognized most readily by the nature of the pappus and the involucral bracts or phyllaries. The phyllaries are basically in one well developed, often partially or wholly connate series of equal length that closely envelope the head . Frequently there are a few, very much smaller and mostly randomly distributed, often necrotic-tipped bracts near the base of the main series. The pappus is of fine, soft, often pure white capillary hairs . Heads may be either discoid or radiate . -- Gerald Carr.

Genus Tussilago

Perennials , 5-30(-50) cm (rhizomes fibrous-rooted, creeping ; plants forming extensive colonies). Stems usually 1, erect (scapiform , not branched). Leaves basal and cauline (basal usually developing after flowers) ; alternate; petiolate (petiole lengths 1-2 times blades ) or sessile; blades (basal) palmately nerved, orbiculate to polygonal or lobed (cauline leaves lance-ovate to linear , bractlike or scale-like), margins denticulate , abaxial faces gray-tomentose, adaxial tomentulose , glabrescent . Heads (erect at flowering, nodding in fruit) radiate , borne singly. Calyculi 0 (or indistinct, bractlets intergrading with bractlike cauline leaves). Involucres cylindric to subturbinate, 10-15 mm diam. (larger in fruit). Phyllaries persistent , usually ± 21 in (1-) 2 series, erect, distinct , lance-linear to linear, subequal , margins scarious (apices greenish or yellow-green). Receptacles convex , foveolate (socket margins ± membranous), epaleate. Ray florets 100-200(-300+), pistillate , fertile ; corollas yellow (drying pinkish). Disc florets (20-) 30-40, functionally staminate ; corollas yellowish, tubes longer than campanulate throats , lobes 5, erect, linear; styles not divided . Cypselae narrowly cylindric or ± prismatic , 5(-10) -ribbed, glabrous ; pappi readily falling or fragile, of 60-100+, white, barbellulate or smooth bristles . x = 30.

Species 1: introduced ; temperate Eurasia , n Africa.[1]

Physical Description

Species Tussilago farfara

Basal leaves : blades palmately 5-12-lobed or -angled, mostly 5-20+ × 5-20+ cm, margins irregularly denticulate . Cauline leaves mostly 5-25 mm. Calyculi: bractlets 5-15 mm. Phyllaries mostly 7-15 mm. Ray corollas: laminae (2-) 4-10 mm. Disc corollas 10-12 mm. Cypselae 3-4 mm; pappi 8-12 mm, ± surpassing involucres. 2n = 60. [source]

Flowering heads of Tussilago farfara close at night (laminae of ray corollas arch and roll inward). The species is becoming an invasive weed in some areas. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: February, March, April, May, June, July. • Flower Color: yellow

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 6-12" tall.

Habitat

Disturbed sites, sandy or rocky soils, calcareous sites; 0-800 m [2].

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,840 meters (0 to 6,037 feet).[3]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 18-24" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 8.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Tussilago

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

T. farfara (Butterbur)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Theodore M. Barkley "Tussilago". in Flora of North America Vol. 20 Page 541, 635. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Tussilago farfara". in Flora of North America Vol. 20 Page 633,635. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 178.280 meters (584.908 feet), Standard Deviation = 241.580 based on 20,000 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 4/19/2012