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Calendula officinalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Calenduleae
Genus:	Calendula
Species:	C. officinalis
Binomial name
Calendula officinalis L.

Calendula officinalis, known as Pot Marigold or Scotch Marigold, is a plant in the Calendula genus. It was used in ancient Greek, Roman, Arabic and Indian cultures as a medicinal herb as well as a dye for fabrics, foods and cosmetics.

The leaves and petals of the Pot Marigold are edible, with the petals added to dishes as a garnish and in lieu of saffron. The leaves can be sweet but are more commonly bitter, and may be used in salads.

Calendula officinalis is a cultivated herb and can be grown easily in sunny locations in most kinds of soils.^[1]

Botany

Calendula officinalis is an aromatic annual plant, that belongs to the Asteraceae family. Typically, it grows to about half a meter in height. The stems are straight and ramified. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, hairy on both sides and 5 to 15 cm long with toothed margins. The inflorescences are thick capitula or flower-heads (3-8 cm) surrounded by two rows of hairy bracts. The tubular, hermaphrodite, central flowers are generally, of a more intense orange-yellow colour than the female, tridentate, peripheral flowers. The flower-heads appear all year long. The fruit is a thorny curved achene.

Pharmacology

Calendula officinalis is used for the treatment of skin disorders and pain, and as a bactericide, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. The petals and pollen contain triterpenoid esters (an anti-inflammatory) and the carotenoids flavoxanthin and auroxanthin (antioxidants, and the source of the yellow-orange coloration). The leaves and stems contain other carotenoids, mostly lutein (80%) and zeaxanthin (5%), and beta-carotene. Plant extracts are also widely used by cosmetics, presumably due to presence of compounds such as saponins, resins and essential oils.

The tincture varies in action according to the concentration of ethanol used to prepare it, frequently either 25% or 90%, due to the variable solubility of different active principles.

Along with Equisetum arvense, marigold is one of the few plants which is considered astringent despite not being high in tannins. It is relatively allergenic, and for dermatological purposes, chickweed may be a better first choice for such conditions as dermatitis.

Gallery

Calendula officinalis

C. Officinalis in the process of opening

Calendula officinalis at Noida Flower Show 2009

Calendula officinalis at Noida Flower Show 2009

References

External links

• National Institutes of Health. "Calendula" (HTML). Herbs and Supplements. U.S. National Library of Medicine. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-calendula.html. Retrieved 2007-12-19.  
• "Calendula officinalis - L." (HTML). Plants For A Future. June 2004. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Calendula+officinalis. Retrieved 2007-12-19.  

From Wikispecies

Calendula officinalis

Taxonavigation

Classification System: APG II (down to family level)

Main Page
Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiospermae
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Euasterids II
Ordo: Asterales
Familia: Asteraceae
Subfamilia: Asteroideae
Tribus: Calenduleae
Genus: Calendula
Species: Calendula officinalis

Name

Calendula officinalis L.

References

• Species Plantarum 2:921. 1753
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Data from 07-Oct-06]. [1]

Vernacular names

For more multimedia, look at Calendula officinalis on Wikimedia Commons.