Marigold

Pot marigold is a short-lived, aromatic perennial of the daisy family, often grown as an annual, standing up to about eighty centimetres with hairy, oblong leaves and yellow or orange flower heads that can open in any month where the climate allows. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long cultivation has blurred where it began, and it has naturalised widely. The English name honours the Virgin Mary, and the generic name comes from the Latin calends, the first day of the month, after the belief that it flowered every month of the year. The petals are eaten in salads and used in place of saffron, the flowers have served as medicine and dye since Greek and Roman times, and an oil made from them goes into skin products. Greek myth had marigolds spring from the tears Aphrodite shed for Adonis, garlands of them were offered in Hindu temples, and there was once a strong belief in England that the flowers followed the sun. In England they were used to dream of a future love and marriage, and were believed to reveal thieves. In magical practice marigold garlands on the doorposts keep evil out, flowers scattered under the bed protect the sleeper and bring prophetic dreams, a few carried in the pocket win a fair hearing in court, and dried petals strewn around a home dispel negativity.