Same family (Daisy) as Butterbur and Winter Heliotrope. Read more...

A short creeping perennial growing about 150mm tall. Yellow flowers, 15-35mm diameter, appear before the leaves in February to April on downy unbranched stems with purple scales. Each flower is solitary and is typical daisy shape with yellow disc and ray florets. Spreads via rhizomes and seeds. Fruit is a white clock of hairy seeds which can be blown by the wind up to 4km. The heart shaped leaves, 100-200mm across, and with pointed teeth appear after the flowers and are said to resemble a colt's foot in cross section. Each leaf grows from the root. Likes bare or waste ground, particularly clay. Can be a troublesome weed in heavy soils and the roots can be found at over 1m deep.