Althaea officinalis the English common name "mallow". Most of the mallows have been used as food, and are mentioned by early classic writers with this connection. Mallow was an edible vegetable among the Romans; a dish of marsh mallow was one of their delicacies. Prospero Alpini stated in 1592 that a plant of the mallow kind was eaten by the Egyptians. Many of the poorer inhabitants of Syria subsisted for weeks on herbs, of which marshmallow is one of the most common. When boiled first and fried with onions and butter, the roots are said to form a palatable dish, and in
Calendula officinalis Calendula officinalis Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold, ruddles, common marigold or Scotch marigold, is a plant in the genus "Calendula" of the family Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown, and it may possibly be of garden origin. It is also widely naturalised further north in Europe (as far as southern England) and elsewhere in warm temperate regions of the world. The Latin specific epithet "officinalis" refers to the plant’s medical and herbal uses. "Calendula officinalis" is a short-lived aromatic herbaceous perennial, growing to tall, with sparsely branched