OUT). IV.] 30. CALENDULA OFFICINALIS. 429 



Ordeii IV. 

 {Polygamia iiecessaria.) 



30. 



Calendula officinalis, L. 



^ingclblunic, Dotterblume. — French, Soiici des jardins. — 

 Ital. Fior rancio. — Engl. Marygold. — Swed. RmgMom- 

 ma. 



This well known plant propagates itself by seed in our 

 gardens. It has a pretty strong, whitish root, and a branchy, 

 round, sulcated stem^ furnished with short hairs, and having 

 open branches. All the leaves embrace the stem and 

 branches, are rather glutinous, and hjlve a peculiar strong- 

 smell : the lower ones are spathulate, quite entire, set with 

 short, soft hairs, which also make the margin ciliated. The 

 upper leaves are lanceolate, imperceptibly dentated, and fur- 

 nished with a herbaceous spine at the extremity : they are 

 also more hairy than the lower. The flower-stalks, at the 

 points of the shoots, are woolly. The common calyx is 

 divided info several lanceolate, woolly laciniae, with taper- 

 ing points. The flowers are of a golden-yellow coloiu* : the 

 ray florets are tongue-shaped, furnished with three pointed 

 extremities, and with several parallel nerves. The florets of 

 the disc, having a cylinder of anthers^ are tubular, and have 

 commonly abortive seeds under them. The fertile are com- 

 monly on the margin, are lanceolate, ot boat-shaped, and in- 

 ternally have spines on their back. 



Diagnosis and Affinity. 



Calendida arvensls is very nearly related to our plant, 

 but it has no spathulate, but only cordate-lanceolate leaver : 

 it has smaller flowers, and the extenor seeds stand erect, ami- 

 are «^mall lanceolate^ C. sancla is dlstinouishod by liavin*'- 



