Flower profile

Colt's-foot

Tussilago farfara

Colt's-foot (Tussilago farfara) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Colt's-foot is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

23states where USDA records it

8Bloomipedia state lists include it

27,629U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Maine and Massachusetts. It's on those states' official invasive plant lists (Maine: Do Not Sell invasive plant (illegal to sell or import); Massachusetts: Prohibited plant (sale, import and propagation banned)). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{Maine Do Not Sell list MA Prohibited Plant List}

Quick look

Tussilago farfara, commonly known as coltsfoot, is a plant in the tribe Senecioneae in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and parts of western and central Asia. The name "tussilago" is derived from the Latin tussis, meaning cough, and ago, meaning to cast or to act on. It has had uses in traditional medicine, but the discovery of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the plant has resulted in liver health concerns.
From Wikipedia's article Tussilago, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 23 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In New York, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 5,195 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #42 among the 193 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,227 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #41 among the 190 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,923 research-grade sightings of it in Vermont, ranking #3 among the 159 flowers on our Vermont list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3,733 records)

Bloom time in the 8 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
New York	Introduced	March–April	5,195
Pennsylvania	Introduced	March–April	4,227
Vermont	Introduced	April–May	3,923
Ohio	Introduced	March–April	2,783
New Hampshire	Introduced	April–May	2,743
Maine	Introduced	April–May	1,607
Massachusetts	Introduced	March–April	1,491
West Virginia	Introduced	March–April	1,316

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 7 of our 8 states.

See each state

New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New York. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Vermont: Not listed Not on Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Vermont. ^{Vermont E&T list}
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Ohio. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
New Hampshire: Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Hampshire. ^{NH Ncr 312}
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Maine. ^{Maine rare plant list}
Massachusetts: Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Massachusetts. ^{MESA list}

West Virginia

No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in West Virginia.

Rare elsewhere

No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records colt's-foot in 23 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

New York counties with USDA records: Albany, Bronx, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Columbia, Dutchess, Erie, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Kings, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, New York, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Westchester, Wyoming.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Potter, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, York.

Vermont counties with USDA records: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, Windsor.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 331 counties across 19 states; the most are in Virginia (69), Pennsylvania (60), Ohio (38).

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More New York flowers

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in NY: August–October

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in NY: June–October

Bull thistle

Cirsium vulgare

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in NY: July–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TUFA.
iNaturalist, Tussilago farfara: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Tussilago (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (15):
Show all 15 state lists
- New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
- New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
- Vermont: Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022).
- Vermont: Vermont Quarantine List, Regulated Introduced Plant Species Rule (eff. June 16, 2026).
- Ohio: Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024).
- Ohio: Ohio invasive plant species (Ohio Adm. Code 901:5-30-01).
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020).
- New Hampshire: NH Prohibited Invasive Species List (Agr 3800, Table 3800.1).
- Maine: Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories.
- Maine: Maine Do Not Sell invasive plant list (01-001 C.M.R. ch. 273).
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90).
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List (MDAR) (Text from MDAR's 2023 scientific-name PDF (mass.gov blocks automated downloads); 2024-2026 additions listed on the mass.gov page: Alnus glutinosa, Pyrus calleryana, Miscanthus sinensis, Aralia elata, Rhodotypos scandens, Symplocos paniculata.).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Tussilago farfara (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Nick Kleinschmidt via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.