Palmate coltsfoot is a native perennial herb that blooms very early in the spring before the leaves emerge. The almost leafless (bracts only) flowering stems are often white-wooly and bear a cluster of heads at the tip. Each head has creamy white ray flowes and whitish to pinkish disk flowers. The leaves are broad (to 40 cm), deeply divided into 5-7 palmate lobes, smooth and green above and white-wooly below. Palmate coltsfoot is common in moist to wet forests, thickets, swamps, and clearings at low to middle elevations.