Corn marigold Glebionis segetum
Table of Contents
General Information
Plant family: Asteraceae
Aliases: Corn daisy, golden daisy, yellow bottle
Flowering period: June – October
Flower colour: Yellow
Preferred soil type: Most types, light, acidic
Habitat: Field margins, grassland, waste areas
Status: Vulnerable
Corn marigold is a hardy, erect, annual wildflower that can reach a metre in height. It’s easily recognisable with its lovely golden-yellow flower heads, which bloom between June and October. Once very common in arable fields, where it was classed as a weed, it’s been in steep decline in recent times due to modern agricultural practices. Nowadays it’s more common on waste areas and bare ground, especially where the ground has been disturbed.
This attractive wildflower is making a comeback, as it’s included in cornfield annual seed mixtures, along with common or corn poppies, cornflowers, corn chamomile and corn-cockle. All were traditional wildflowers that thrived in cornfields prior to the introduction of modern farming practices, which virtually wiped them out.
Identification
Flowers: The bright yellow flowers typically measure between 35mm – 55mm in diameter, with an outer ring of strap-shaped ray florets and a centre of disc florets.
Leaves: The hairless, fleshy leaves, are oblong, but deeply lobed or toothed.
Value for wildlife
The golden-yellow flowers produce a valuable source of pollen and nectar and attracts all types of bee, different butterflies, hoverflies. It’s the food plant of the Chamomile shark moth.
Uses for corn marigold
The petals were once, churned into butter, then added to cheese to add colour. In some countries the young shoots were eaten as a vegetable.
Corn marigold images
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