Caltha palustris : Yellow Marsh-marigold

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Ranunculaceae (Crowfoot/Buttercup Family)

Genera: Caltha (Marsh-marigold) (An early Gk. name for a yellow flowered plant, later transferred to this genus)

Species: palustris (Lat. palus= marsh; referring to the habitat of this species)

Synonym(s): C. arctica

English Name(s):

Yellow Marsh-marigold, Common Marsh-marigold

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Plant herbaceous (not woody) with colourless acrid (bitter) juice.
• Plant low, soft-stemed and glabrous (hairless).
• Stems 10-60cm long, erect or ascending, eventually rooting at nodes.

Leaves:

• Simple, cordate to reniform in shape.
• Basal leaves petioled (stalked) with petioles 10-20cm long.
• Up to 6 cm broad.
• Stem leaves short-petioled to sub-sessile (stalkless), smaller.
• Margins crenate (round toothed).

Reproductive Parts:

• Flowers perfect (bisexual) and of regular symmetry.
• Sepals 5, petaloid, yellow, 1-2cm long; petals none.
• Ovaries superior (above floral parts).

Seed:

• Fruit composed of several to many carpels (chambers).
• Follicles 10-12, appressed-ascending, dry, dehiscent (spliting open) down one side, pod-like, beaks bent.

Not to Be Confused With:

• Caltha natans (White/Floating Marsh-marigold)

Physiology:

• The petals reflect UV light at their tips but absorb it at their bases at the center of the flower.

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• plants deciduous from rootstock.
• Most flowers gone to seed by mid-July.

Animal Uses:

• Bees can see the UV paterns in the petals. We cannot.

Habitat:

• MArshes, pools, slow moving streams.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

• Juice squeezed from the leaf or stem is very caustic and may irritate warts away.

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

• In Iceland it was believed that if Marsh-marigold was taken with certain ceremonies and carried about, will prevent the bearer from haveing angry words spoken to him.

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food: