Practical
Plants

Calendula arvensis

Field Marigold

an annual member of the Calendula genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked[1][6][8][12]. The leaves are very rich in vitamins and minerals, they are similar to Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) in nutritional value[7]. Flower heads - pickled[6][8].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are diaphoretic[18][14]. The flowers are said to be antispasmodic, emmenagogue and stimulant[14]. The plant seems to have similar therapeutic properties to pot marigold, C. officinalis[15]. These properties are:- Pot marigold is one of the best known and versatile herbs in Western herbal medicine and is also a popular domestic remedy[16][15]. It is, above all, a remedy for skin problems and is applied externally to bites and stings, sprains, wounds, sore eyes, varicose veins etc[16][15]. It is also a cleansing and detoxifying herb and is taken internally in treating fevers and chronic infections[16][15]. Only the common deep-orange flowered variety is considered to be of medicinal value[16]. The whole plant, but especially the flowers and the leaves, is antiphlogistic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aperient, astringent, cholagogue, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, skin, stimulant and vulnerary[16][19][21][11][17][4][10]. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, they are best harvested in the morning of a fine sunny day just after the dew has dried from them[16]. The flowers are also used fresh or dried, for drying they are harvested when fully open and need to be dried quickly in the shade[16]. A tea of the petals tones up the circulation and, taken regularly, can ease varicose veins[10]. An application of the crushed stems to corns and warts will soon render them easily removable[19]. The leaves, blossoms and buds are used to make a homeopathic remedy[13]. It is used internally in order to speed the healing of wounds[13].

Product or use
Antiphlogistic
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Aperient
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cholagogue
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Homeopathy
Product or use
Skin
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Vulnerary
Product or use
Warts

Environment

Range
Europe. A garden escape in Britain[5].
Habitat
Fields, vineyards and waste ground[20].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in situ from spring to early summer and again in September. The seed germinates best in darkness and usually within 1 - 2 weeks at 21°c[2].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown and very ornamental plant, it succeeds in any well-drained soil[9], though it prefers a good loam and does best in a sunny or at least partially sunny position[16][3][9]. The plant flowers best when it is grown in a poor soil. Plants usually self-sow quite freely in the garden.

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  2. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bryan. J. and Castle. C. Edible Ornamental Garden. Pitman Publishing 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-273-00098-5

    ↩

  4. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  7. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  8. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  10. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

    ↩1↩2

  11. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  12. Les Ecologistes de l'Euzi�re Les Salades Sauvages Not given. 1994-00-00 ISBN 2-906128-04-X

    ↩

  13. Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-333-55581-3

    ↩1↩2

  14. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  15. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  17. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  18. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  19. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2

  20. Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1

    ↩

  21. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩

Edit this page