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Tagetes patula
Also called African Marigold, Aztec Marigold, Saffron Marigold, American Marigold, Big Marigold, Marigold, Mexican Marigold
French marigold is a fast, easy annual bedding plant grown for its bright yellow to orange flowers, with hundreds of cultivars. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil that stays evenly moist.
Tagetes patula, the French marigold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico and Guatemala with several naturalised populations in many other countries. It is widely cultivated as an easily grown bedding plant with hundreds of cultivars, which often have bright yellow to orange flowers.
Some authorities regard Tagetes patula as a synonym of Tagetes erecta, the Mexican marigold.
This plant is valued for its velvet-textured, brightly coloured blooms in shades of yellow, orange and russet in summer. It is shorter, and has a more spreading habit, than its relative the Mexican marigold (Tagetes erecta). It is therefore more suitable as an edging plant in the open border.
Moreau et al 2006 attempted to protect Solanum tuberosum (potato) against Leptinotarsa decemlineata (potato beetle) by intercropping with T. patula but instead found it acting as an attractant, resulting in greater infestation and lower yields. (They also found the same for another purported repellent, Armoracia rusticana.)
Tagetes epapposa · Aztec marigold · Sweetscented marigold · Tagetes mendocina · Muster John Henry · Tagetes oaxacana · Signet Marigold · Marigold
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tagetes patula 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.
