Calendula spp.

[MWP admin]

I believed that I would easily recognise this common plant with conspicuous golden yellow/ orange flowers and with interesting set of reddish/brown disck florets with orange stigmas.

It all seems to point towards a Calendula species, such as C. arvensis, but all pics show it with yellow or pale orange disc florets, not deep red as the photo below shows.

Is it Calendula or something else ? Flower small (1cm -1.5cm) Confused

[IL-PINE]

It is Calendula arvensis.

[jackpot]

yes

[MWP admin]

What about being Calendula bicolor. The flowers are alike at least, but probably there are other morphological differences that I am not aware of in the foliage or fruiting parts.


Photo of Calendula bicolor from the web (floracyberia)

[robcar]

C. arvensis with reddish disk florets seems to be quite common (e.g. at Clapham junction)

[Sdravko]

calendula are variable and im not very good at them but this one looks like arvensis. why do you think bicolor grows in Malta?

[MWP admin]

I came along this photo on the net, and reminded me that I have a similar photo. Do you know what are the different features between C. bicolor and C. arvensis ? (I have a strange feeling that they are synonyms!)

[MWP admin]

Another plant described as C. bicolor, and very similar to my photo above?!?




To mix the bowl of Calendula further, in his book Wild flowers of the Mediterranean, Blamey says that C. stellata has brown/maroon disks with yellow ligules that have purple tips.

Poor me

[Sdravko]

never try to identify them from one picture, they are too difficult. several pics plus herbarium specs in flower and fruit and even than im often confused, expecially with the suffruticosa group.