Caltha palustris|marsh marigold|Ranunculaceae

Caltha palustris.Eleanor Saulys.www.ct-botanical-society.org

Caltha palustris is a perennial herb, to 60 cm tall, poisonous when fresh. Contains an unstable oil, protoanemonin (Kingsbury 1964). Stems hollow, branched above.

Leaves alternate, broadly heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, base deeply lobed, with broad sinus, tip rounded, margin toothed, lower leaves long-stalked, upper becoming almost stalkless.

Flowers bright yellow, to 4 cm wide, sepals 5-9, petal-like, stamens numerous, April-June.

Fruit dry, clusters of dry narrow capsules to 1.5 cm long.

Wetland status: OBL.

Frequency in NYC: Infrequent.

Origin: Native.

Habitat: Along open streamsides, pond edges.

Notes: Sometimes confused with Ranunculus ficaria (lesser celandine), an upland, non-native, aggressively colonial plant.

Related Terms:

Term: Kingsbury 1964

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Caltha palustris marsh marigold Ranunculaceae CAPA2; Bx, pb (DeCandido 2001); NY (DeCandido 2001); Q (DeCandido 2001); R (DeCandido 2001); (some of these are probably planted);