Colts foot
Tussilago farfara
Family: Asteraceae
Fire effect on plant
Coltsfoot is likely top-killed by fire; belowground reproductive structures may survive.
Key traits
Coltsfoot has extensive, deep rhizomes from which it can resprout after mechanical disturbance (Bakker 1960), so it seems likely that rhizomes below the soil can resprout after fire. Seeds have potential for long-distance dispersal via wind and water and so may move into burnt areas and colonize (e.g., Colgan, 1913). Seed longevity is short (<6 months; Bakker 1960).
Plant response to fire
The information available suggests that fire may facilitate coltsfoot establishment and spread (Innes 2011). Recruitment from off-site wind-dispersed seed is likely, while on-site seed banks are transient.
Timing of life history
A perennial. Seeds produced from second growing season. Flowering February to May.
Conservation status
None.
References
Bakker, D. 1960. A comparative life-history study of Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. and Tussilago farfara L., the most troublesome weeds in the newly reclaimed polders of the former Zuiderzee. In: Harper, J. L., ed. The biology of weeds. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publishers: 205-222. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Colgan, N. 1913. Further notes on the burnt ground flora of Killiney Hill. The Irish Naturalist 22: 85-93. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Innes, R. J. 2011. Tussilago farfara. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/tusfar/all.html. [Expert opinion; Grey literature]