Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Asterales > Asteraceae > Tagetes > Tagetes erectaTagetes erecta (Mexican marigold)Synonyms: Tagetes corymbosa; Tagetes erecta erecta; Tagetes erecta f. erecta; Tagetes erecta var. erecta; Tagetes ernestii; Tagetes excelsa; Tagetes heterocarpha; Tagetes major; Tagetes patula; Tagetes patula f. patula; Tagetes patula patula; Tagetes patula var. patula Tagetes erecta, the Mexican marigold, also called Aztec marigold, is a species of the genus Tagetes native to Mexico. Despite its being native to the Americas, it is often called African marigold. In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of State of México, Puebla, and Veracruz. This plant reaches heights of between 50 and 100 cm (20 and 39 in). The Aztecs gathered the wild plant as well as cultivating it for medicinal, ceremonial and decorative purposes. It is widely cultivated commercially with many cultivars in use as ornamental plants, and for the cut-flower trade. |
| Edible [1] | May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details. | | Flower Type [1] | Hermaphrodite | | Lifespan [1] | Annual | | Pollinators [1] | Insects, Lepidoptera | | Scent [1] | The bruised leaves emit a refreshing pungent smell; | | Structure [2] | Herb | | Usage [1] | Secretions from the roots of growing plants have an insecticidal effect on the soil, effective against nematodes and to some extent against keeled slugs; These secretions are produced about 3 - 4 months after sowing;
The whole plant is harvested when in flower and distilled for its essential oil;The oil is used in perfumery, it is blended with sandalwood oil to produce 'attar genda' perfume; About 35 kilos of oil can be extracted from 1 hectare of the plant (yielding 2,500 kilos of flowers and 25,000 kilos of herbage);
The whole plant contains substances that are toxic to cockroaches;
The growing plant repels whitefly and can be grown near tomatoes to keep that crop free of the insect;
A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers; It is used to colour foods and textiles; The flowers are sometimes used as an adulterant of saffron (obtained from Crocus sativus); |  | | Height [1] | 20 inches (0.5 m) | | Width [1] | 12 inches (0.3 m) |
View Plants For A Future Record : Tagetes erecta |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
|
