Tagetes

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial, annual
Origin:	✈	Tropical/warm America, Africa

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Water:	◍	moderate
Features:	✓	flowers
Flower features:	❀	orange, yellow

Scientific Names

Asteraceae >

Tagetes >

Tagetes is a genus of 51 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae or Compositae). They are native to the area stretching from the southwestern United States into Mexico and south throughout South America. The different species vary in size from 0.05-2.2 m tall. They have pinnate green leaves, and white, golden, orange, yellow, to an almost red floral heads typically (0.1-) to 4-6 cm diameter, generally with both ray florets and disc florets^wp.

Tagetes (possibly from the name of an Etruscan god) are known almost universally in North America as marigold, or variously as Mexican marigolds (or cempasúchil), African marigolds (usually referring to cultivars and hybrids of T. erecta, although this species is not native to Africa), or French marigolds (usually referring to hybrids and cultivars of T. patula, many of which were developed in France although the species is not native to that country). At least one species is a naturalized weed in Africa, Hawaii, and Australia^wp.

"Marigold" is derived from "Mary's Gold", and the plant is associated with the Virgin Mary in Christian stories. Tagetes is not to be confused with the genus Calendula, which goes by "marigold" in some areas. See "marigold" for this and other species commonly called marigold^wp.

Depending on the species, marigold foliage has a musky, pungent scent, though some varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests, as well as nematodes. Tagetes are hence often used in companion planting for tomato, eggplant, pepper, tobacco and potato^wp.

TAGETES (Tages, an Etruscan god, or perhaps of other derivation). Compositae. Marigold. American perennial and annual flower-garden herbs.^CH

Leaves opposite or alternate, pinnately cut or rarely simply serrate: fl.-heads of various sizes, yellow or orange, marked in some species with red: strong-scented plants with opposite or alternate mostly pinnately divided lvs. that bear oil-glands : involucre of united parts forming a cup or tube, naked at base: achene angled or flattened, the pappus of a few entire mostly unequal bristles or scales: rays pistillate; disk-fls. perfect.—Species about 20, from New Mex. and Ariz. to Argentina, mostly annuals. The popular annual species known as "African" and "French" marigolds have been derived respectively from T. erecta and T. patula, both of which are native to Mex. According to Sweet's Hortus Britannicus, these two species were intro. into cult. in 1596 and 1573.^CH

For garden purposes Tagetes may be divided into two groups, based upon habit of growth. T. erecta and T. lucida are of upright and somewhat open growth; while T. patula and T. signata are spreading and bushy, the lower branches lying close to the ground and often rooting. The French marigolds, T. patula, are valuable bedding plants. Good garden forms are of even height and bushy compact growth, with a mass of good foliage and well-colored flowers appearing continuously from June until frost. In raising plants, it is preferable to grow them in pots, as this practice seems to check the plants sufficiently to cause them to bloom at a small size and more plentifully during the early summer months than if they were raised with unlimited root room. They should be planted about 1 foot apart. This species also makes attractive specimens in small pots in a few weeks from seed. Mixed seed of the double sorts will give a large percentage of good double flowers, while the seed of special named double sorts is remarkably good. Some of the single forms are very finely colored. The African marigolds, T. erecta, are not well suited to bedding purposes, the growth being too open, but for the mixed border or shrubbery they are excellent late-blooming subjects. This species should be grown with plenty of root room, air, and rich soil from start to finish if the largest and most double flowers are desired. The African marigolds are very useful as cut-flowers except under circumstances where their odor is objectionable.^CH

Cultivation

Deadhead to prolong blooming^RH. Plant in well drained soil under sun^RH.

Propagation

Plant seeds indoors for a headstart, or directly in garden when danger of frost has passed^RH. Plants start blooming 12-14 weeks after sowing^RH.

Pests and diseases

Outdoors: Gray mold (Botrytis), bacterial leaf spot, powdery mildew, Alternaria leaf spot, damping off, root rot. Under glass: leaf miners, spider mites and whiteflies^AH.

Species

About 59^wp, including^RH:

• Tagetes erecta
• Tagetes filifolia
• Tagetes lacera is a species discovered about 1896 by T. S. Brandegee in Low. Calif. It makes a compact bush 4-5 ft. high, bearing a profusion of yellow fls. in winter. Small plants flower well in pots.^CH
• Tagetes lucida
• Tagetes minuta
• Tagetes patula
• Tagetes tenuifolia

as well as numerous hybrids

• T. Lemmonii. Gray, also a shrubby nearly smooth plant about 2 ft. high, seems to be grown in Calif. It is distinctly woody but rather slender: lvs. all opposite, 3-7-foliolate, the serrulate lfts. about 1 in. long: heads about 1 in. diam., showy. Ariz. ^CH

Gallery

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  Tagetes lucida

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  Tagetes minuta

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  African Marigold - "Tagetes erecta"

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  Tagetes-anatomy

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  Tagetes-flower grow

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  Tagetes-flower grow

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  Tagetes-flower grow

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
• American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432

External links

• w:Tagetes. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Tagetes QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)