Tussilago farfara

Often found growing wild, this is a perennial whose flowers, unusually, appear before the leaves. The plant comes into flower between February and April and the blooms look like small coiffured dandelions. They have masses of slender long yellow petals round a broad golden heart. Later, the foliage appears. These make ample mounds of leaves that are often 30cm in diameter. They are, overall, rounded with shallow toothy lobes. This is found growing in damp places, often on wasteland. It has a number of medicinal uses for asthma, coughs etc. as well as treatment for skin inflammations. It is used in Chinese medicine. The young flowers and leaves can be eaten raw in spring. The plant is no longer favoured for home remedies and if grown at all, it is best grown as an ornamental for a pondside, or in a wild garden.