TUSSILAGO, COLTS-FOOT, a genus of the polygamia superflua order, belonging to the syngenesia class of plants. There are nine species; of which the most remarkable are, 1. The farfara, or common colts-foot, growing plentifully on the banks of rivulets, or in
in moist and clayey soils, in England and Scotland.—The leaves are smoked in the manner of tobacco, or a syrup or decoction of them and the flowers stand recommended in coughs and other disorders of the breast and lungs. The present practice, however, seems almost entirely to have rejected it. The downy substance under the leaves, boiled in a lixivium with a little saltpetre, makes excellent tinder. 2. The petafites, or common butter-bur, is frequent in wet meadows and by the sides of rivers. Its leaves are the largest of any plant in Great Britain, and in heavy rains afford a seasonable shelter to poultry and other small animals. The root dug up in the spring is resinous and aromatic. A drachm of it in a dose has been sometimes given as a sudorific and alexipharmic; but as it possesses those virtues but in a small degree, it has lost its reputation in the shops.