pot-marigold, Calendula officinalis

It looks good, it smells good, so how about a pot-marigold for our salad! Or maybe tea. Or medicine? It must be good for something? Back through human history we've tried just about everything with pot-marigolds. We were only right the first time. They are edible, and ad a little flavor and color to salads. The leaves are edible, but few found them palatable. Mostly pot-marigolds fell out of favor fairly early, and are only occasionally seen in our gardens or pots. Now they're trying out the possibilities, and have been found wild in CA, CT, MA, ME, MI, NH, NY, OH, PA, WA. WI, BC, NF, NS, ON, and QC. Beal Garden, MSU, 8/13/13. Aster family, Asteraceae.