Common Name: Field Marigold

General Information

Calendula arvensis is an erect, annual plant with a much-branched stem that can grow up to 30cm tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern Europe - Portugal to Greece and Bulgaria; W. Asia - Turkey, Caucasus, Syria to Israel; N. Africa - Macaronesia to Egypt

Habitat

Fields, vineyards and waste ground[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown and very ornamental plant, it succeeds in any well-drained soil[], though it prefers a good loam and does best in a sunny or at least partially sunny position[, , ]. The plant flowers best when it is grown in a poor soil.
Plants usually self-sow quite freely in the garden.

Edible Uses

Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked[, , , ]. The leaves are very rich in vitamins and minerals, they are similar to Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) in nutritional value[].

Flower heads - pickled[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves are diaphoretic[, ].

The flowers are said to be antispasmodic, emmenagogue and stimulant[].

Calendula arvensis seems to have similar therapeutic properties to pot marigold, (Calendula officinalis)[]. These properties are:-
Pot marigold is one of the best known and versatile herbs in Western herbal medicine and is also a popular domestic remedy[, ]. It is, above all, a remedy for skin problems and is applied externally to bites and stings, sprains, wounds, sore eyes, varicose veins etc[, ]. It is also a cleansing and detoxifying herb and is taken internally in treating fevers and chronic infections[, ]. Only the common deep-orange flowered variety is considered to be of medicinal value[].
The whole plant, but especially the flowers and the leaves, is antiphlogistic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aperient, astringent, cholagogue, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, skin, stimulant and vulnerary[, , , , , , ]. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, they are best harvested in the morning of a fine sunny day just after the dew has dried from them[]. The flowers are also used fresh or dried, for drying they are harvested when fully open and need to be dried quickly in the shade[].
A tea of the petals tones up the circulation and, taken regularly, can ease varicose veins[].
An application of the crushed stems to corns and warts will soon render them easily removable[].
The leaves, blossoms and buds are used to make a homeopathic remedy[]. It is used internally in order to speed the healing of wounds[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ from spring to early summer and again in September. The seed germinates best in darkness and usually within 1 - 2 weeks at 21°c[].