the.com/calendula

The marigold that moonlights as medicine, insisting every garden needs a pharmacist.

means A bright orange-petaled marigold (Calendula officinalis) whose flowers are used in salves, teas, and skin remedies for their soothing, mildly antiseptic properties.

from From Latin calendae — the 'calends,' or first day of the month, from which we also get 'calendar.' The flower earned the name because it seemed to bloom on cue with the turning months, or by some accounts almost continuously through the year — a plant so reliably in flower it felt bound to the calendar itself.

name origin
Latin calendae, because it blooms almost every month
skin healer
Used in salves for cuts and eczema for centuries
edible petals
Called poor man's saffron for coloring soups and rice
bloom habit
Flowers close at night and reopen with the sun
the.com · every word