CALENDULA officinalis English or Pot Marigold ____________________________________ Type: Annual Height: 6-12" (15-30cm) Flowering Time: Summer Flower Colour: Orange, yellow ____________________________________ Botanical Classification: Class: Angiospermae (Angiosperms) Subclass: Dicotyledonae (Dicotyledons) Superorder: Asteridae (Daisy Superorder) Order: Asterales (Daisy Order) Family: Asteraceae (Daisy Family) Genus: Calendula (Calendula) Species: officinalis (useful) ____________________________________

Calendula officinalis is a very familiar plant, as it is one of the easiest annuals to grow and is often grown by children. Plants have strong, coarse stems and coarse aromatic leaves, topped by a large and conspicuous daisy-type flower in shades of bright yellow and orange in summer and autumn. Hybrids can have double or single flowers, darker centres, or petals tipped with another colour.

Calendula officinalis is a tough plant, and grows in most conditions, performing well in sun and dry soil or semi-shaded borders and rainy gardens. The tips should be pinched out to encourage bushiness.

It makes a useful cut flower, and can be used in cooking or for herbal remedies (the 'officinalis' part of the name means it was used by early apothecaries).

Calendula self-seeds very easily.

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Harvesting and Growing from Seed:

	Seed Pod There is no seedpod. The seeds are held on a rounded seedhead, curled inwards like a cat's claw.
	Seed The seeds are light brown, curved or bent, spiky and woody, and are sometimes quite long.
	Seedling The seedling is quite tough, with fleshy rounded seedleaves.
Seed sowing and Germination Spring: Seeds sown inside in spring germinated in 8 days. Seeds sown outside in spring germinated in 9 days.