Calendula officinalis

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Compositae

Genus

Calendula

Life cycle

annual

Height

0.6 m

Spread

0.5 m

Fertility

Bees

Flower type

monoecious

Pollinators

Bees

Uses

Edible uses

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

Leaves - raw^[4][14]. When eaten they first of all impart a viscid sweetness, followed by a strong penetrating taste of a saline nature^[25]. They are very rich in vitamins and minerals and are similar to Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) in nutritional value^[8]. Fresh petals are chopped and added to salads^[9]. The dried petals have a more concentrated flavour and are used as a seasoning in soups, cakes etc^[9]. High in vitamins A and C^[15]. An edible yellow dye is obtained from the petals^[26]. A saffron substitute^[14], it is used to colour and flavour rice, soups etc^{[11][4][22][24]}. It is also used as a hair rinse, adding golden tints to brown or auburn hair^[13]. A tea is made from the petals and flowers, that made from the petals is less bitter^[9]. There is no record of the seed being edible, but it contains up to 37% protein and 46% oil^[15].

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.

Pot marigold is one of the best known and versatile herbs in Western herbal medicine and is also a popular domestic remedy^[25][20]. It is, above all, a remedy for skin problems and is applied externally to bites and stings, sprains, wounds, sore eyes, varicose veins etc^[25][20]. It is also a cleansing and detoxifying herb and is taken internally in treating fevers and chronic infections^[25][20]. Only the common deep-orange flowered variety is considered to be of medicinal value^[25]. The whole plant, but especially the flowers and the leaves, is antiphlogistic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aperient, astringent, cholagogue, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, skin, stimulant and vulnerary^{[25][27][28][14][26][6][13]}. 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^[25]. 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^[25]. A tea of the petals tones up the circulation and, taken regularly, can ease varicose veins^[13]. An application of the crushed stems to corns and warts will soon render them easily removable^[27]. The leaves, blossoms and buds are used to make a homeopathic remedy^[16]. It is used internally in order to speed the healing of wounds^[16].

Material uses

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

The growing plant acts as an insect deterrent^[4], it reduces the soil eelworm population^[17]. The flowers are used cosmetically. They can be used in skin lotions and when added to hair shampoos will lighten the hair colour^[18]. The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'Quick Return' compost activator^[23]. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[K]. A yellow dye is obtained from the boiled flowers^[11][25][26]. An essential oil is obtained from the plant^[27]. It is used rather sparingly, in view of the difficulty in obtaining it, in perfumes that have a rather sharp tang^[27]. The flowers close when wet weather is likely to occur and they can therefore be used as a rough means of weather forecasting^[27].

Environment

Range

S. Europe. A garden escape in Britain^[7].

Habitat

The original habitat is obscure but it is found as a garden escape on waste, cultivated and arable land and along roadsides^[12].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

light shade

Water

moderate

Hardiness

Zone 6+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline

Drainage

well drained

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

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

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any well-drained soil^[12][21], though it prefers a good loam and requires a sunny or at least partially sunny position^{[25][5][12][21]}. Plants flower best when they are grown in a poor soil^[2]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 8.3. The pot marigold is a very ornamental plant that is commonly grown in the flower garden, and occasionally as a culinary herb, there are some named varieties^[9]. When well-sited it usually self-sows freely and will maintain itself if allowed^[1][25]. The flowers are sensitive to variations in temperature and dampness, closing when it is dark and when rain is expected^[27][18]. All parts of the plant are pungently scented^[19]. The growing plant attracts hoverflies to the garden, the young of which are fairly efficient eaters of aphids^[17][13]. The flowers are attractive to bees^[2]. Marigolds are good companion plants, they grow well with tomatoes^[4]. Cucumber mosaic disease and powdery mildew can cause problems with this plant^[10].

Related plants

• Calendula arvensisField Marigold
• Achillea ageratumMace
• Achillea erba-rotta moschataMusk Milfoil
• Achillea millefoliumYarrow

References

1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

   ↩

2. International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00

   ↩1↩2

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

   ↩

4. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

   ↩

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

   ↩

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

   ↩

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

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

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4

10. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

11. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

15. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

17. Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.

    ↩1↩2

18. Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30725-8

    ↩1↩2

19. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

21. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

    ↩1↩2

22. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

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23. Bruce. M. E. Commonsense Compost Making. Faber 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-571-09990-4

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24. Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960-00-00

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

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

    ↩