Life Span of the Herb Coltsfoot

Germination

• Coltsfoot plants itself in late spring or early summer. Gardeners wishing to sow the herb should do so in that season as well, since the seeds don’t remain viable for long. They can be strewn over the surface of neutral or alkaline clay soil in full sun or partial shade, and they must be kept damp until they germinate. A coltsfoot seed makes a tap root first that dies a few months later, having been replaced by other roots and, finally, rhizomes. The seedling generally won't flower the year after it is planted, but waits until its second spring.

Flowering

• Because coltsfoot’s deciduous leaves drop off in fall, its crown of flower buds is the only part of the plant showing above ground during the winter. Those buds are thus poised to break into bloom at the first signs of spring. They often begin opening when only 2 to 6 inches above the ground, though their furry and scaly stalks can sometimes reach 12 to 20 inches. In its preferred climate-range, U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 6, coltsfoot will produce its 1 to 1 1/2-inch flowers sometime from March through June.

Seed Production

• Although most frequently pollinated by insects, a coltsfoot flower can pollinate itself with its nighttime closing, since its anthers appear in the flower’s central disk and its stigmas among the raying petals. Once pollinated the flower bows its head until its round and fluffy seed head is ready, whereupon it stands tall again, so the wind can catch and disperse those seeds. A rhizome dies after producing flowers and seeds, but other rhizomes will take its place, so the locations of the flower crowns change from year to year. In theory, a coltsfoot colony can continue to spread and flower indefinitely, but in reality it is often shaded out or crowded out by larger plants.

Leaf-Out

• Coltsfoot’s leaves generally don’t appear until early summer, after all the fuss of flowering and seeding is over. They are necessary, however, as they provide food and energy to the rhizomes. Holding a position only a few inches above the ground, those leaves – which can range in length from 2 to 12 inches -- also shade out competing plants and help retain the dampness of soil the rhizomes prefer. Although quite furry at first, the leaves gradually go bald on their upper surfaces before they drop off of the plant in autumn.