Coltsfoot is a native wild shrub that shows its yellow blossoms especially early in spring. Already in February, you can see the squamulose pedicels that then form one basket blossom each. While, on the outside, everything is still looking dull and gray, you can hardly overlook the small, bright suns near the ground. Like that, coltsfoot is a very important food source for many insects and butterflies that can barely find something else during this season.
From an ecological point of view, it's a real pioneer plant that particularly likes to settle in abandoned areas. Therefore, you often find coltsfoot on dikes, in old quarries, and dumps. After the Second World War, it settled the bombed remains and ruins in many German cities quickly. The plant prefers very warm and dry locations and is known as an indicator plant for waterlogged areas resp. wet-dry, loamy to clayey raw soils. Established in gardens once, it will always stay as coltsfoot forms an extensive root system with offshoots. Some people, therefore, don't like to have it in their garden. As a dab of colour at the end of winter or a lush insect plant, this plant can't be topped. The white, feathery seed stands are, on top of that, a good food source for birds at the end of winter.
Furthermore, coltsfoot is also interesting as a medicinal plant and known since antiquity. Prepared as tea or juice, the leaves are used as a mucolytic cough remedy. Indeed, coltsfoot is also known for being used as tobacco leaves. The fume is said to have an anticonvulsant effect and has been used against asthma.
Also in traditional Chinese medicine, coltsfoot is of great importance and is called: Kuan-Dong-Hua.
Last but not least, coltsfoot also belongs to the winter vegetable varieties. You can eat the blossoms and leaves but shouldn't overdo it. The large leaves are well-suited for stuffing, you can prepare them raw or blanched. The flavour is slightly peppery.
