Description
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Magnoliopsida | Asterales | Asteraceae | Tussilago |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Established | Stable | Introduced | Unconfirmed | North America | Eurasia | Natural Dispersal(Natural Dispersal),Shipping(Dry Ballast),Agriculture(Agricultural Weed),Ornamental(Garden Escape) |
History of Spread
Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) is a widely distributed Eurasian plant (Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991). The first North American record appears to be from the 'banks of rivers' (Torrey 1826), and probably refers to the Hudson (Torrey 1843). According to numerous herbal websites, and a sign in the U.S. National Arboretum National Herb Garden, T. farfara was widely planted as a medicinal herb, and used as a remedy for coughs (Fofonoff, personal observations). It was also collected on dry ballast in the ports of New York and Philadelphia (Brown 1881; Martindale 1876). Tussilago farfara was widespread in the Northeast by the early 20th century, ranging from eastern Quebec to PA (Robinson and Fernald 1908). Its current range is from ME north into Canada, west to MN, and south to TN and NC (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001). While it is primarily an upland weed of 'damp, argillaceous soils, brooksides, etc.-.' (Fernald 1950), it has been found in tidal fresh marshes in the Merrimack River (Caldwell and Crow 1992).
In the Chesapeake Bay region, T. farfara was first found in 1938 at Calvert Cliffs, in Calvert County MD 'mainly on the clayey-sandy talus at the foot of the cliffs, a habitat exposed to constant disturbance by the frequent high tides of the area' (Blake 1951). In King George County VA, along the lower Potomac, it was collected from'beach berm, river bluff face, and roadside' (Simmons et al. 1995). T. farfara is known from 9 VA tidewater counties, but appears to be much more abundant in mountain regions of VA, WV and MD (Brown and Brown 1984; Fofonoff, personal observations; Harvill et al. 1992). We are unsure of its occurrence in tidal wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay region, though it clearly grows in adjacent habitats.
References- Blake 1951; Brown 1881; Brown and Brown 1984; Caldwell and Crow 1992; Fernald 1950; Fofonoff, personal observations; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Harvill et al. 1992; Martindale 1876; Robinson and Fernald 1908; Simmons et al. 1995; Torrey 1826; Torrey 1843; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-meso |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
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| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
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| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) has had no reported economic impacts on native biota in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
According to numerous herbal websites, and a sign in the U.S. National Arboretum National Herb Garden, Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) was widely planted as a medicinal herb, and used as a remedy for coughs (Fofonoff, personal observations).
References- (Fofonoff, personal observations
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) has had no reported impacts on native biota in Chesapeake Bay proper. It is an abundant colonizer on disturbed soil in Mountain regions of the watershed (Brown and Brown 1984).
References- Brown and Brown 1984
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) has had no reported impacts on exotic biota in Chesapeake Bay proper. It is an abundant colonizer on disturbed soil in Mountain regions of the watershed (Brown and Brown 1984), and may compete with other weeds there.
References- Brown and Brown 1984
References
Blake, S. F. (1951) Tussilago farfara in Maryland., Rhodora 53: 93-94Brown, Addison (1881) Ballast plants in and near New York City, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 8: 141-142
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Martindale, I. C. (1875) The introduction of foreign plants, Botanical Gazette 2: 55-58
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Robinson, Benjamin Lincoln; Fernald, Merrit L. (1908) Gray's New Manual of Botany., , New York. Pp.
Simmons, Mark P.; Ware, Donna M.; Hayden, W. John (1995) The vascular flora of the Potomac River watershed of King George County, Virginia, Castanea 60: 179-209
Torrey, John (1823) A flora of the north and middle sections of the United States, , New York. Pp.
Torrey, John, M.D. (1843) Flora of the State of New York, 2 , Albany. Pp.
Torrey, John, MD. (1843) A Flora of the state of New York, In: (Eds.) . , Albany. Pp.