Marsh Marigold

Marsh marigold, also called kingcup, is a fleshy, hairless perennial of the buttercup family that grows in marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland across the temperate Northern Hemisphere. It stands ten to eighty centimetres tall with broad, kidney-shaped leaves, and from April to August carries glossy yellow flowers whose colour comes from petal-like sepals, for it has no true petals. Despite its name it is not related to the other plants called marigolds. The name is said to come from its use in medieval churches at Easter in honour of the Virgin Mary, and it has many local names across Britain, from Molly-blob to publicans-and-sinners. In Ireland the flowers were gathered on May Eve or before dawn on Beltane and hung in houses and barns, laid on windowsills and strewn on doorsteps against malicious faeries. On the Isle of Man it was called the herb of Beltane, used against faeries and witches on Beltane and as a protective charm all through May, in Scotland it protected the milk, and a flower kept in a jar of water was a charm against lightning. In magical practice the flowers are laid on the altar to deepen the bond with spirit guides, and a picture of the flowering plant helps bring clarity about a path of personal growth.