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Drawing copyright Mark Müller
Ranunculaceae Family - "Marsh Marigold, Bitter Flowers, Boots, Bull Flowers, Capers, Cow Lily, Cowslip, Crazy Bet, Drum Hards, King's Cup, Meadow Boots, Soldier's Buttons, Water Goggles, Water Boots, Water Gowan"
From the old Greek caltha meaning "cup" and from the Latin palustris meaning "of the marsh".
These showy yellow flowers bloom rather early in the spring, from April through May. They are a spectacular sight in their big, golden colonies with flowers up to 1 1/2 inches across. They are found from as far north as Alaska and Labrador and south to New England through South Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa and Nebraska. Marsh Marigolds prefer the wet soils of marshes, woodlands, seeps and stream banks.
Early physicians used Caltha palustris to treat dropsy, anemia, coughs and convulsions. Warts were treated with a drop a day of the plant's juice until the wart disappeared. Native Americans used it to treat the diseases of women, colds and open sores. Leaves gathered from the plant before it bloomed in the spring were cooked thoroughly to destroy a toxic alkaloid they contain and used as greens by many tribes of the northern US. Early settlers often pickled the flower buds; in fact that particular dish was quite a delicacy in restaurants on the east coast. The blossoms of Marsh Marigolds have also been used to make wine and were the source of a brilliant yellow dye.
