| Caltha palustris | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Caltha |
| Species: | C. palustris |
| Binomial name | |
| Caltha palustris | |
| Varieties | |
| Synonyms | |
Trollius palusterE.H.L.Krause | |
Caltha palustris, known asmarsh-marigold[1] andkingcup, is a small to medium sizedperennialherbaceousplant of thebuttercup family,native tomarshes,fens, ditches and wetwoodland intemperate regions of theNorthern Hemisphere. It flowers between April and August, dependent on altitude and latitude, but occasional flowers may occur at other times.
Caltha palustris is a 10–80 centimetres (4–31+1⁄2 in) high, hairless, fleshy, perennial, herbaceous plant that dies down in autumn andoverwinters with buds near the surface of the marshy soil. The plants have many,2–3 millimetres (3⁄32–1⁄8 in) thick strongly branching roots. Its flowering stems are hollow, erect or more or less decumbent. Thealternate true leaves are in arosette, each of which consist of apetiole that is about four times as long as thekidney-shapedleaf blade, which is between3–25 cm (1+1⁄4–9+3⁄4 in) long and3–20 cm (1+1⁄4–7+3⁄4 in) wide. The leaf possesses a heart-shaped foot, a blunt tip, and a scalloped to toothed, sometime almost entire margin particularly towards the tip. In their youth the leaves are protected by a membranous sheath, that may be up to3 cm (1+1⁄4 in) long in fully grown plants.[2]
The common marsh-marigold mostly has severalflowering stems of up to 80 cm (31 in) long, carrying mostly severalseated leaflikestipules, although lower ones may be on a short petiole; and between four and six (but occasionally as few as one or as many as 25) flowers. The flowers are approximately4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) but range between2–5.5 cm (3⁄4–2+1⁄4 in) in diameter. There are four to nine (mostly five) petal-like, brightly colored (yolk yellow, white or magenta), inverted egg-shapedsepals, each about1.75 cm (3⁄4 in) but ranging from1–2.5 cm (1⁄2–1 in) long, and about1.33 cm (1⁄2 in), ranging from0.75–1.75 cm (1⁄4–3⁄4 in) wide; they have a blunt or sometimes acute tip. Realpetals andnectaries are lacking. Between 50 and 120stamens with flattened yellow filaments and yellowtricolpate or sometimes pantoporatepollen encircle 5–25 free, flattened, linear-oblong, yellow to greencarpels, with a two-lobed, obliquely positionedstigma, and each with manyseedbuds. This later develops into a seated, funnel-shaped fruit (a so-calledfollicle) of0.75–2 cm (1⁄4–3⁄4 in) long and0.25–0.5 cm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) wide, that opens with one suture at the side of the axis and contains 7–20 ovoid, brown to black seeds of about2.5 mm × 1.5 mm (3⁄32 in × 1⁄16 in).[2]
The oldestdescription that is generally acknowledged in the botanical literature dates from 1700 under the namePopulago byJoseph Pitton de Tournefort inpart 1 of his Institutiones rei herbariae. He distinguished betweenP. flore major,P. flore minor andP. flore plena, and already says all of these are synonymous toCaltha palustris, without mentioning any previous author. As a plant name published before 1 May 1753,PopulagoTourn. isinvalid. And so is the first description asCaltha palustris byCarl Linnaeus in hisGenera Plantarum of 1737. But Linnaeus re-describes the species under the same name inSpecies Plantarum of 1 May 1753, thus providing thecorrect name.[3]
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The generic nameCaltha is derived from theAncient Greekκάλαθος (kálathos), meaning "goblet", and is said to refer to the shape of the flower.[4] The speciesepithetpalustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat.[5]
In the UK,Caltha palustris is known by a variety of vernacular names, varying by geographical region. These include in addition to the most common two, marsh marigold and kingcup, also brave bassinets, crazy Beth, horse blob,[citation needed] Molly-blob,[6] May blob, mare blob, boots, water boots, meadow-bright, bullflower, meadow buttercup, water buttercup, soldier's buttons, meadow cowslip, water cowslip, publican's cloak, crowfoot, water dragon, drunkards, water goggles, meadow gowan, water gowan, yellow gowan, goldes, golds, goldings, gools, cow lily, marybuds, and publicans-and-sinners.[7] The common name "marigold" refers to its use in medieval churches at Easter as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, as in "Mary gold". In North AmericaCaltha palustris is sometimes known as cowslip. However, cowslip more often refers toPrimula veris, the original plant to go by that name.[8][better source needed] Both are herbaceous plants with yellow flowers, butPrimula veris is much smaller.[citation needed]
Caltha palustris is a veryvariable species. Since mostcharacter states occur in almost any combination, this provides little basis for subdivisions. The following varieties are nevertheless widely recognised. They are listed with their respectivesynonyms. If anepithet based on the sametype specimen is used at different levels, only the use at the highesttaxonomic rank is listed, so asC. himalensis is already listed,C. palustris var.himalensis is not.[2]
The 2006–2007 edition of theRoyal Horticultural SocietyPlant Finder, a British publication which lists over 70,000 plants available in nurseries in theUnited Kingdom, lists in addition to these varieties the followingcultivars: Single flowered: "Marilyn", "Trotter's form", "Yellow Giant".Double flowered: "Flore Pleno" (RHS'sAward of Garden Merit), "Multiplex", "Plena", "Semiplena".[7]
The species isnative tomarshes,fens, ditches and wetwoodland intemperate regions of theNorthern Hemisphere. It can be found in much of the northeastern United States.[9]
The marsh-marigold grows in places with oxygen-rich water near the surface of the soil. It likes richer soils, but dislikes application offertilizer and avoids high concentrations ofphosphate andammonium, and is also shy of brackish water. It is often associated with seepage that is rich in iron, because iron ions react with phosphate, thus making it unavailable for plants. The resultinginsoluble mineral appears as "rusty"flocs on the water soil and the surface of the stems of marsh plants. Around theedge of lakes and rivers it grows betweenreeds, and it can be found inblack aldercoppices and other regularly flooded and always moist forests. When it is present it often visually dominates when it is in bloom. It also used to be common on wetmeadows, but due to agricultural rationalization it is now limited to ditches.[10]
It is a component ofpurple moor grass and rush pastures – a type ofBiodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe.[citation needed]
In western Europe, the marsh-marigold mothMicropterix calthella bites open theanthers of the marsh-marigold and other plants to eat thepollen. Thecaterpillars that are present in summer and autumn also feed on marsh-marigold, although these are sometimes found on mosses too. Another visitor ofCaltha palustris in western Europe is the leaf beetlePrasocuris phellandrii, which is black with four orange stripes and around ½ cm and eats the sepals. Its larvae inhabit the hollow stems of members of the parsley family.[10] In the USA (Illinois) two species of leaf beetle can be found on Caltha:Plateumaris nitida andHydrothassa vittata.[11] The maggots of somePhytomyza species (Agromyzidae) are miners inCaltha leaves.[12]
The flowers produce both nectar and copious amounts of pollen which attract many insect visitors. They may be most commonly pollinated by hoverflies (Syrphidae).[13] In Canada, beetles (Cantharidae,Nitidulidae,Coccinellidae,Chrysomelidae,Cerambycidae), thrips (Thripidae), bugs (Miridae), butterflies (Pieridae), sawflies (Tenthredinidae), bees (Apidae,Halictidae,Andrenidae), ants (Formicidae) and flies (Sepsidae,Sciomyzidae,Ephydridae,Syrphidae,Anthomyiidae,Tachinidae andMuscidae) have been observed to visit the leaves or flowers, many of which were found carryingCaltha pollen.[14]In addition to other forms of pollination, this plant is adapted to rain-pollination.[15]
Caltha palustris is infertile when self-pollinated. Rather high fertility in crosses between sibling plants suggest that this phenomenon is genetically regulated by several genes. This regulation mechanism also occurs inRanunculus and as far as known only in these two genera.[16]
InCaltha palustris up to two hundred seeds may be produced by each flower.[16] When the follicles open, they form a "splash cup". When a raindrop hits one at the right angle, the walls are shaped such that the seeds are expelled.[10] The seeds also have some spongy tissue that makes them float on water, until they wash up in a location that may be suitable for this species to grow.[17]
The marsh-marigold is affected by therust speciesPuccinia calthea andP. calthicola.[18]
Caltha contains several active substances of which the most important from a toxicological point of view isprotoanemonin. Larger quantities of the plant may cause convulsions, burning of the throat, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, dizziness and fainting. Contact of the skin ormucous membranes with the juices can cause blistering or inflammation, and gastric illness if ingested. Younger parts seem to contain less toxics and heating breaks these substances down. Small amounts ofCaltha in hay do not cause problems when fed to husbandry, but larger quantities lead to gastric illness.[19]
Additionally, plants that live in raw water may carry toxic organisms which can be neutralized by cooking.[9]
Early spring greens and buds ofCaltha palustris are edible when cooked (but are poisonous when raw).[20] Young leaves or buds should be submerged a few times in fresh boiling water until barely tender, cut into bite-sized pieces, lightly salted, and served with melted butter and vinegar.[19] Very young flowerbuds have been prepared like capers and used as a spice.[10]
The common marsh marigold is planted as an ornamental throughout temperate regions in the world, and sometimes recommended for low maintenance wildlife gardens.[7] The double-flowered cultivar 'Flore Pleno' has won theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[21]
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Caltha palustris is a plant commonly mentioned in literature, includingShakespeare:
It also appears inCharlotte Brontë'sShirley:
and inThomas Hardy's poem 'Overlooking the River Stour':
Kingcup Cottage byRacey Helps is a children's book which features the plant.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)