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Caltha leptosepala

Common name:	Western Marsh Marigold	Family:	Ranunculaceae
Author:	DC.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:	Caltha rotundifolia ((Huth.)Greene.)
Known Hazards:	The whole plant, but especially the older portions, contains the toxic glycoside protoanemanin - this is destroyed by heat[172]. The sap can irritate sensitive skin[172].
Range:	North-western N. America.
Habitat:	Sub-alpine and alpine swamps and marshy meadows[60, 85].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. biflora[B,P] C. biflora ssp. howellii[B,P] C. howellii[B,P] C. leptosepala ssp. biflora[B,P] C. leptosepala ssp. howellii[B,CPHOTO,CAL,CAL,P] C. leptosepala var. biflora[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Howell's Marshmarigold [P], Marsh Marigold [S], White Marsh-marigold [B], White Marshmarigold [P], White Or Western Marshmarigold [S],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	leptosepala = thin petaled
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ranunculales. Buttercup family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from May to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, beetles and flies. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Flowers Leaves Root.

Root - it must be well cooked[172]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Flower buds - raw, cooked or pickled and used as a caper substitute[85, 105, 172, 183]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Young leaves, before the flowers emerge are eaten raw or cooked[85, 172, 183]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Older leaves, before the plant flowers, can be eaten if well cooked[85]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic Expectorant Poultice Warts.

The whole plant is antispasmodic and expectorant. It has been used to remove warts[172]. A poultice of the chewed roots has been applied to inflamed wounds[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A plant of the waterside, it prefers growing in a sunny position in wet soils or shallow water[1, 111, 233], though it will tolerate drier conditions if there is shade from the summer sun[233]. It requires a deep rich slightly acidic soil[111, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
Plants are hardy to about -20c[187].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame in late summer[200]. Stand the pots in 2 - 3cm of water to keep the soil wet. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15° c[138]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a tray of water in a cold frame until they are at least 15cm tall. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in early spring or autumn[200]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for caltha leptosepala (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Ranunculaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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