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Ranunculaceae
Marsh Marigold
Caltha palustris
Wishes, desire for riches, spring.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Caltha
- Native to
- Northern Hemisphere
- Bloom season
- Early Spring
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 20–40 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Wet, boggy, mucky
- Water
- Very high; loves standing water
- Hardiness
- 3–7
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Despite its name, marsh marigold isn't a true marigold — it's an ancient member of the buttercup family with shiny waxy petals.
- The 'petals' are actually colorful sepals — true petals are absent, but the sepals do all the showy work.
- It's one of the very first wildflowers to bloom in northern bogs and stream banks, often pushing up while snow is still patchy.
- Old country names include 'kingcup' and 'mayblob' — the latter from its habit of forming bright yellow blobs along ditches in May.
- Honey bees, queen bumblebees, and emerging hover flies all rely on marsh marigold for one of the very first pollen meals of the year.
Color meanings
Yellow
Spring's first gold