Plant guide
Pot marigold
Calendula officinalis
Pot marigold is non-toxic to cats. This guide covers Calendula officinalis, not every flower sold as marigold.
Non-toxic does not mean edible. Eating plant material can still upset your cat’s stomach.
What this guide covers: Calendula officinalis only; Tagetes marigolds require their own assessment. No assessment of extracts, remedies or prepared products.
Photo:
Photo details
Calendula officinalis —
By Roberto Verozo
License: CC BY 2.0
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
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Photo:
Photo details
Calendula officinalis —
By Roberto Verozo
License: CC BY 2.0
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
Calendula seeds
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Non-toxic does not mean edible. Chewing plants can still upset your cat’s stomach.
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Look for Calendula officinalis and check the selected variety. Listings and availability can change.
Plant identity
- Scientific name
- Calendula officinalis
- Scope
- Species
- Family
- Not recorded
- Also known as
- No reviewed aliases available
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How to grow this plant
Calendula officinalis only; Tagetes marigolds require their own assessment. No assessment of extracts, remedies or prepared products.
- Light
- Sunny position
Full sun; some shade can help during hot summers.
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist
Maintain moisture with drainage; drought reduces performance.
- Temperature
- Temperature range not yet established
Hot summer weather can reduce growth; no preferred numerical range established.
- Humidity
No specific humidity target established.
- Potting
- Average, moderately fertile, well-drained soil.
- Through the year
- Remove spent flowers and pinch to encourage branching; plants may reseed.
Growing-guide sources
- Calendula officinalis ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-16
Calendula officinalis only; Tagetes marigolds require their own assessment. No assessment of extracts, remedies or prepared products.
Growing advice reviewed 2026-10-16. Plant safety is assessed separately.
Reviewed safety information
- Toxic principle
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
- Reported signs
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
Missing information is unknown. It should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.
Safe alternatives
No verified alternative recommendations are available for this guide.