ORD. IV.] 30. CALENDULA OFFKjlNALIS. 429 



Ordeii IV. 

 {Polygamia necessaria.) 



30. 



Calendula officinalis, L. 



ilingelblume, Dotterblume.— French, Souci des jar dins. 

 Ital. Fior rancio. — Engl. Marygold* — Swed. Ring-hlo7n^ 

 ma. 



This well known plant propagates itself by seed in our 

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

 i^oundj sulcated stem^ furiiished with short hairsj and having; 

 open branches. All the leaves embrace the stem and 

 branches, are rather glutinous, and have 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 into several lanceolate, woolly laciniaej with taper- 

 ing points. The flowers are of a golden-yellow colour : 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, or boat-shaped, and in- 

 ternally have spines on their back. 



Diagnosis and Affinity. 



Calendula arvensis is very nearly related to our plant, 

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

 it has smaller flowers, and the exterior seeds stand erect, and 

 are small lanceolate* C. sancta is distinguished by having 



