Marsh marigold
(Caltha palustris)
Marsh Marigold has large, golden, cup-like flowers with five petals. They are perennial plants (meaning they live for several years) that bloom each spring with fresh growth, typically flowering from March to May (or later further north) with its leaves remaining all year.
Marsh Marigolds can be seen around Killearn in damp woods, marshy meadows, river and pond margins or wet moorland.
Fascinating fact:
Today, the plant is also used in modern environmental management as part of the filtering systems of reed-bed effluent treatment plants.
Marsh marigolds are common in damp habitats but are unfortunately declining due to habitat loss and agricultural changes. They reproduce through both water-borne seeds and spreading rhizomes (underground stem growth) allowing it to maintain their presence in suitable environments.
Marsh marigolds are known by several vernacular names like Kingcup, Mayblobs, and Mollyblobs. All parts of the plant are toxic – unless boiled – but historically, the leaves have been used as an additive to rennet in cheese-making to curdle milk; and the petals were a valuable source of natural yellow dye
In some cultures, the appearance of Marsh Marigold flowers in spring was considered a good omen. On the Isle of Man, petals were sprinkled in doorways to bring good luck. It was also believed that a garland of Marsh Marigolds placed around a cow’s horns would increase milk yield.
Did you know
Part of the buttercup family, Marsh Marigold is believed to be one of the oldest plants in Britain, possibly surviving the Ice Age and recolonizing the land after the retreat of the ice sheets.