Calendula Flowers

Whenever I saw the beautiful Calendula flowers blooming in my garden, I always thought of the Sun. I mean that is what they look like. Calendulas have always fascinated me because of many reasons. First, they were the flowers that bloomed almost all throughout the year; and second, I always found them facing towards the sun. Which is why, watching them soaking the sun in the afternoons was something that I really enjoyed. They looked so beautiful, the rays of the sun made their appearance look all the more bright. I would purposely sprinkle a few drops of water on them, and watch the sun's rays make the water drops on the flowers look like pearls. You can say that it is my fascination towards these flowers that made me do some research on them, the findings of which, made it a very special flower in my eyes. It's not 'just' an awesome garden flower, it's more than that! Have a look.

Meaning

The name 'Calendula' is derived from a Latin word Kalendae, which means the 'first day of the month.' This is because these flowers tend to bloom usually at the first day of the month. Also, if you have noticed, the word 'calendula' also seems to be very similar to the English term 'calendar'. This signifies that the calendula flowers bloom almost all throughout the year, specially in summers and fall. The other names for calendula flowers include, Pot Marigold, Mary Bud, Bull's Eyes, Summer Bride and Husbandmans Dial. The calendula flower is also the October birth flower. This is the reason why the 'calendula flower tattoo' is very popular among those born in the month of October. This flower also represents the Virgin Mary religiously. It also represents characteristics like warmth and friendliness because of its strong connection with the sun.

Scientific Classification and Growth

The scientific name of the calendula flower is Calendula officinalis. These flowers are native to the region of east Macaronesia throughout the Mediterranean, connecting to the land of Iran. Their genus consists of about 12-20 species which consist of both annual plants, and plants that can live for more than 2 years. Have a look at the scientific classification of these flowers below.

Scientific Facts about Calendula Flower

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Calendula

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Asterales

Tribe: Calenduleae

Calendula flowers grow up to 12-24 inches in height. The color of the petals vary from light to dark orange, yellow, gold and red. It is a Mediterranean plant, therefore, it grows best in an absolutely sunny environment with moderately fertile soil and partial shade. They can be grown anywhere, from kitchen gardens to containers, and they will last long, even without any extra maintenance. The only thing that you need to take care of is to remove the weeds and grow them at least 9-10 inches away from each other, so that they get enough space to spread their roots and branches. Another amazing thing about growing calendula flowers is that they have unusual curlicue seedpods, and can reseed themselves easily. This makes them one of the ideal flowers to grow in containers. Remember, I told you that calendula flowers have more uses than being just a beautiful garden flower. These benefits will be discussed in the following section.

Uses and Benefits

Did you know that calendula flowers are known for their medicinal benefits? Which means that planting them in your garden can not only make it look pretty, but also prove to be pretty useful in your daily life. How? This is because calendula consists of anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-genotoxic properties. Read out the various uses of calendula flowers listed below.

• Did you know that the ancient Romans used to rub calendula flowers to treat scorpion bites. Rubbing the flower or massaging calendula oil on the affected area can prove beneficial in reducing pain, inflammation or swelling, especially if caused by a wasp or a bee sting.
• Calendula extracts are also used in various beauty products. It is said that rinsing your hair with calendula helps in reducing dandruff. Amazing, isn't it?
• Using calendula flower oil also helps in getting rid of toothaches, headaches, sprains, menstrual cramps, stomach ache, fever etc. This is why drinking calendula flower tea is a common practice in many households, because of its amazing medicinal and health benefits.
• Many people also use calendula flowers in soap. This is because calendula flowers have natural properties which prove to be useful in skin conditions like acne, rashes, wounds, sunburns, eczema, etc. This is the reason why many calendula ointments are used by people with such problems.
• Using calendula creams can also help you get rid of dry or chapped skin. Not only this, it also works great for diaper rashes in infants.
• Because calendula flowers are a rich source of natural antioxidants, many people grow these flowers in their kitchen gardens and make calendula tea using its dry petals. It proves to be beneficial in treating sore throat, gastric ulcers and even oral lesions.

After going through the medicinal and healing properties that nature has bestowed calendula flowers with, I can now understand why this flower blossoms almost all throughout the year. I mean, you do need them quite often so that you can get rid of the ailments that tend to trouble you almost every other day, right? So take care of these flowers, so that they can take care of you, in return!