430 30. CALENDULA OFFICINALIS, [CL. XIX. 



its calyx notched, or furnished with herbaceous spines. C. 

 stellata Cav. has flowers of a sulphur-yellow colour, and five 

 below the fruit on the margin are horned, and stand very re- 

 mote, (Schk. t. 235.) The genus Calendula is related to few 

 others, principally to Melampodium and SilpJdum. 



Synonymes and Figures. 



Calendula, Brunf. 3. 77. Dodon, 254. i*— viii. Tahern. 



711, 712. 1.— VII. Ger, em. 739. 

 Ringelblumen, Trag. f. 55. 



Caltha, Fuchs, 382. Matth. 894. Daleclt. 811. /. Bauh. 

 Hist. 3. 101. 



Chrysanthemum et Caltha poetarum, LoheL Hist. 298. 

 ic. 552. 



Clymenmn Colum. Phytob. t. 13. 



Calendula officinaHs Linn. Willd. Sp. PI. 3. 2340. Sturm. 8. 



Geographical Distribution. 



Although this plant propagates itself in the gardens of 

 Germany, it is properly, however, a native of the south of 

 France, where it grows in the fields. It does not seem to 

 grow in the other southern countries of Europe. 



Uses^ 



In the sixteenth century^ this plant, from its strong smell, 

 was reckoned medicinal, and was employed in the case of 

 diseased female organs, especially in cancer, (Matth^ Vah 

 gris. 628 ) This practice has been lately renewed by West- 

 ring, (Erfahrungen iibcr die Heilung der Krebsgeschwure. 

 Aus. dem Schwed., Halle 1817^ 8vo.) Jixact chemical ana- 

 lyses have been given by Geiger (Diss* de Calendula qffi^ 

 cinale, Heidelb. 1818.), and by Stolze (Berlin. Jahrb^ fur 

 die Pharm. 1820, s. 282. f.) According to the analysis of 

 the latter, its principal constituent parts are green vegetable 

 wax^ albumen, lime united to malic acid, Myricin and Calen- 

 dulin, (a peculiar matter which might readily be mistaken 

 for jelly). 



