CALE'NDULA, a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Composites, the -sub-order Coryrnbilerce, the tribe Cynarae, the sub tribe Calenclulacece, the division Calendula& It has. an involuere of two rows with equal scales ; the flowers of the ray ligulate, pistil liferous, fertile ; the style divided at top into two stigmata ; the flowers of the disk hermaphrodite, barren, the style undivided ; the achenia unequal, curved, toothed, or muricated.
C. arsenals, Field-Marigold, has the achenia cymbiform, muricated, incurred, the outer ones lanceolate, subulate, muricated ou the back. This plant is common on the continent of Europe, and is found in immense numbers in same of the vineyards of the Rhine.
C. officinalis, Common Marigold, has cymbiform achenia, all of them incurred, and muricated. This is the Souci du Jardin of the French, Gold-Blume of the Germans, and Fturancio of the Italians. Although common enough now in the gardens of Great Britain, and frequently found wild, it is not a native of these islands, and has been introduced from the south of Europe. This plant is a great favourite in gardens, and continues to blossom till the approach of winter. It is often
grown in churchyards in this country, and in cemeteries on the Continent, but this practice does not appear to be connected with any superstition. There are several varieties of this plant found in gardens, as the orange-coloured, the lemon-coloured, and the double. , It had formerly numerous virtues attribute I to it, but independent of the bitterness of the tribe to which it belongs, and a rather morn powerful volatile oil than is found in other species of the order, it possesses no active properties. The flowers are used in some parts of the country to yellow colour to cheese. In the Clock of Flora of Linnaeus, it is said to open its flowers at nine in the morning and to close them at three in the afternoon. C. plurialis has been named from its flowers closing at the approach of rain. The petals of these plants are sometimes employed to adulterate saffron.
(Loudon, Encyclopedia of Plants ; Koch, Flora Germanise.)