Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), fam. Asteraceae.
   One of the first spring flowers. It likes humid places, including those on the ugly garbage heaps, between railway sleepers etc., downstream the Darnytsia river - where it passes through the industrial zone. Both flowers and fruits (the latter ripen as early as May) are similar to dandelion, but it is impossible to confuse them with each other. The leaves appear after flower fading, that is why in Britain people called this plant “son before the father”. Of course, there is no wonder, since many perennial plants behave similarly - both herbs (pasqueflower) and, even more often, trees (alder, aspen, silver maple, dogwood, apricot).
   Coltsfoot is used as a medicine. Even the latin name tussilago derives from the words "cough" and "expel". Sometimes it is used for gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and colitis. However, long use of this plant is undesirable - some scientists suspect that coltsfoot has weak carcinogenic properties.

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