More and more people want to trust Mother Nature when it comes to fighting diseases. Coltsfoot is one of those wild herbs that is said to work wonders for respiratory problems. Clear identification is mandatory when collecting. With which plants is there a risk of confusion?
The leaves of coltsfoot look very similar to those of butterbur (shown here).
flowers like dandelions
Coltsfoot flowers sun yellow, like the ubiquitous dandelion. The shape and size of the flowers is also not dissimilar, but confusion is hardly conceivable. The dandelion is too familiar to us to mistake it for coltsfoot. Just in case, we list the distinguishing features:
- the flower of the coltsfoot is usually a little smaller
- its stem is scaled
- the flowering period is from February to April
- during flowering the leaves are not yet expelled
- Dandelions, on the other hand, bloom from April to June and later
- only after the green leaves have formed
tips
The leaves of these two plants are so different that there is no risk of confusion between them.
Leaf similarities with butterbur
Butterbur and coltsfoot are old neighbors as they prefer the same locations. Their leaves show many similarities. If you are not familiar with their size and details, you can quickly get it wrong. At home, the mistake goes unnoticed. If you want to avoid confusion, you should be careful when picking.
- the risk of confusion is higher with young leaves
- mature butterbur leaves are larger than coltsfoot
- they can reach a diameter of up to 60 cm
- Coltsfoot only reaches 10 to 20 cm
- they are sawn more gently and appear much rounder
risk of confusion
If wild plants are confused with each other, it can be dangerous for humans. Health damage or even danger to life can be the two consequences if the collected material is poisonous contrary to expectations.
If dandelions or butterbur are accidentally picked up while collecting coltsfoot, no dramatic effects are to be expected. Like coltsfoot, they are not poisonous. The butterbur even has similar healing powers to offer. The dandelion is edible and a very healthy wild plant. However, if the healing power of coltsfoot is expected, the dandelion cannot serve with it.
Toxic doubles
In this country, no poisonous plants are known that could be mistaken for coltsfoot by uninformed hobby collectors.