| + | Calendula officinalis, Linn. Pot Marigold. Fig. 741. Annual: 1-2 ft. high, more or less hairy: Ivs. oblong and more or less clasping, entire, thickish: heads solitary, on stout stalks, large with flat spreading rays, showy, closing at night. S. Eu. B.M. 3204. V. 5:44; 16:165.—One of the most universal garden fls., running into many vars., distinguished by size, color, and degree of doubling. The color varies from white-yellow to deep orange. This is the marygold of Shakespeare's time. The fl.-heads are sometimes used in cookery, to flavor soups and stews. The calendula is of the easiest culture in any warm, loose soil. The seeds are usually sown where the plants are to stand, but they may be sown indoors or in a frame and the plants transplanted. The achenes are large and germinate quickly. The plant blooms the whole season, particularly if the fls. are picked. It is a hardy annual, and in the southern states will bloom most of the year. In the N. it blooms up to the first frosts, sometimes beyond. Sown in summer or autumn, it makes a good winter bloomer. Florets are used in medicine as a vulnerary and anti-emetic. The flowering plant was formerly used for removing warts. |