Caltha palustris, Marsh marigold, is one of the earliest blooming spring ephemerals in a wetland. Marsh marigold's heart shaped shiny foliage emerges in March and almost overnight is topped with bright yellow buttercup like flowers which last thru May.  Flowers are 1 to 1-1/2 " across.  Marsh marigold will hold its foliage thru mid summer if provided a cool shady niche in a water garden otherwise it will naturally go dormant in summer by the end of June. Found naturally along slow moving streams and wooded wetlands.  Caltha palustris is important ecologically, providing protection for many small aquatic creatures and assisting in water clarifying by absorbing nutrients and trapping silt.  Despite its common name, the Marsh marigold is in the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and not related to marigolds.

Bloom Color