Practical
Plants

Chrysanthemum segetum

Corn Marigold

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.45 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

One report suggests that the plant contains coumarin[5]. If this is true it would be unwise to eat the leaves, especially if they are dried, since coumarin can prevent the blood from co-aggulating when there is a cut.

Edible uses

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

Young shoots - cooked[8][11][2][4][6]. Strongly aromatic, they contain coumarin[5]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Leaves

Material uses

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
Europe - E. Mediterranean. Probably introduced in Britain[3].
Habitat
A weed of lime-free arable land in Britain[1][3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow spring in situ. The seed usually germinates within 10 - 18 days at 15°c. Autumn sowings succeed in mild areas[9].

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1], though it prefers a well-drained fertile soil in full sun[9]. Grows well in sandy soils[7]. Dislikes lime[3]. Cultivated as a vegetable in China and Japan[11][10]. There are several named varieties selected for their ornamental value[[9].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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