Caltha palustris
| Caltha palustris | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Caltha palustris (common name: marsh marigold)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame in late summer[1]. Stand the pots in 2 - 3cm of water to keep the soil wet. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°c[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a tray of water in a cold frame until they are at least 15cm tall. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in early spring or autumn[1]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.
Cultivation: A plant of the waterside, it prefers growing in a sunny position in wet soils or shallow water up to 15cm deep[3][4][5], though it will tolerate drier conditions if there is shade from the summer sun[5]. Another report says that it grows best in partial shade[6]. Requires a deep rich slightly alkaline soil[7][4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a chalky soil[7]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.5.
A very ornamental[3] and polymorphic plant[6], there are some named varieties[5]. Plants often self-sow when well sited[8].
A good bee plant[9].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[10].
This species is probably the most primitive flower in the British flora[6].
Range: Much of the northern Temperate zone in Europe, including Britain, N. America and Asia.
Habitat: Wet areas in marshes, fens, ditches and wet alder woods[6][11]. Rare on very base poor peat[6].
Edibility: Root - must be well cooked[12]. The raw root should not be eaten[K]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Flower buds - raw, cooked or pickled and used as a caper substitute[13][12]. Eating the raw flower buds can lead to intoxication[14]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Young leaves - raw or cooked[15][16][17][18][19]. The leaves are harvested in the spring as the plant is coming into flower and is used like spinach after cooking in two or more changes of water[15][12]. Eating the raw leaves can lead to intoxication[14]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Older leaves, before the plant flowers, can be eaten if they are well cooked[20]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: Every part of this plant is strongly irritant and so it should be used with caution[21].
The whole plant is anodyne, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and rubefacient[22][20]. It has been used to remove warts and is also used in the treatment of fits and anaemia[21][22][20].
The root is antirheumatic, diaphoretic, emetic and expectorant[23][14]. A decoction is used in the treatment of colds[24]. A poultice of the boiled and mashed roots has been applied to sores[24].
A tea made from the leaves is diuretic and laxative[14][24].
All parts of the plant can irritate or blister the skin or mucous membranes[14].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[[25][26], a saffron substitute[13]. It is used as a dye when mixed with alum, though it is not very permanent[21].
Plants can be grown for ground cover when planted about 45cm apart each way[8].
Pollinators: Bees, beetles, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The whole plant, but especially the older portions, contains the toxic glycoside protoanemonin - this is destroyed by heat[20]. The sap can irritate sensitive skin[20].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Brown, George. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.