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Tagetes erecta
Also called African Marigold, French Marigold, Saffron Marigold, American Marigold, Big Marigold, Marigold, Mexican Marigold
Aztec marigold is a bushy, upright species native to Mexico and Central America, grown for its bright yellow to orange-red flower heads. Full sun and well-drained soil are the keys to success.
Tagetes erecta, the Aztec marigold, Mexican marigold, big marigold, cempaxochitl or cempasúchil, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tagetes native to Mexico and Central America. Despite being native to the Americas, it is often called the African marigold. In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of México, Michoacán, Puebla, Veracruz and Guerrero.
This plant reaches heights of between 20 and 90 cm (7.9 and 35.4 in). The Aztecs gathered the wild plant as well as cultivating it for medicinal, ceremonial and decorative purposes; it was introduced to Europe after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and colonization and became widely cultivated commercially with many cultivars in use as ornamental plants, and for the cut-flower trade.
It is widely cultivated and there are many cultivars used in gardening as an ornamental plant. The cultivar 'Inca Orange' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
In Mexico, it is used in the festivities of the Day of the Dead, to decorate altars and tombs; hence the name "flower of the dead". However, since antiquity it is also used for food and medicinal purposes.
Although native to Mexico, they are also found in the countries of Central America and the Caribbean: Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
Tagetes epapposa · Sweetscented marigold · Tagetes mendocina · Muster John Henry · Tagetes oaxacana · French marigold · Signet Marigold · Marigold
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tagetes erecta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
