Seasonal Wild Flowers

Pot Marigold

Calendula officinalis

Asteraceae

May to October and all year in mild winters.

Marigolds are widely grown in gardens throughout the

country.

Escapes are scattered throughout, but are both more

common and more persistent in southern regions

See the BSBI distribution map for Pot Marigold

Marigolds grow on walls, waste ground and rubbish tips.

It is a neophyte, which has been grown for over 1000 years

as a garden flower, a herb and a medicinal plant, but was

not recorded in the wild until the 1870s.

Pot marigold is a decorative, roughly hairy, slightly

aromatic, annual herb, growing up to 80cm.

The flower heads are orange and up to 7cm across.

Fruiting heads are made up of curved, single seeded fruits

(achenes).

Leaves are oblong and usually broader at the tip.

Pot Marigold, waste ground, Southwold, Suffolk

On a stone wall, Lancaster

Individual flower

Fruiting head - boat-shaped achenes

Leaves - broader at tips