Day 237: At least its Latin binomial hasn't changed recently, but if ever there was a confusing common name, "Marsh Marigold" should be somewhere near the top of the list. Most English-speaking people think of marigolds in terms of the orange-yellow-brown pompoms along our garden borders. In fact, those belong to another genus entirely: Tagetes. Worse, they are in a different family (Asteraceae) than Caltha leptosepala (Ranunculaceae). The leaves of our bedding marigold are finely divided (pinnate) and look lacy, quite unlike the somewhat leathery, kidney-shaped foliage of the plant featured above. So how in bloody blue blazes did Caltha leptosepala come to be known as Marsh Marigold? Blame religion. I've backed up the commonly accepted version of word-lore with reliable etymological references because it caused my eyebrows to raise in doubt, but it's apparently true. The word "marigold" derives from "Mary's gold" and refers to the bouquets of early-emerging yellow flowers which were used to give tribute to the purported mother of Christ. Any yellow flower placed in her shrine was called "Mary's gold," i.e., "marigold." There are several yellow Calthas, and the word was applied to them as well since their flowers also emerge early, making them a good candidate for reverential use (and never mind the lack of a scientific base). Does the plant have a better common name? "Elkslip" is not often heard here in the Pacific Northwest, but I think I may have to work on popularizing it. That said, another thought has crossed my mind: maybe I can claim that all those yellow "lawn-daisies" in my front yard are marigolds. Surely somebody laid a nosegay of dandelions at Mary's feet some time in the past?
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