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Asteraceae
Mexican Marigold
Tagetes erecta
Celebration of life and remembrance of the dead.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Tagetes
- Native to
- Mexico, Central America
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 30–120 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- average, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 2–11 (annual)
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Called 'cempasúchil' in Nahuatl, these are the iconic flowers piled on altars during Mexico's Día de los Muertos.
- Aztecs cultivated marigolds for over 2,000 years — they believed the flowers' pungent scent guided souls back to the living world.
- The petals contain lutein, which is commercially extracted to color chicken skin and egg yolks a richer yellow.
- Despite the name 'African marigold', Tagetes erecta is entirely native to the Americas — the misnomer arose from early trade routes.
- Companion gardeners plant marigolds to repel root-knot nematodes; the roots release a natural nematicide called alpha-terthienyl.
Color meanings
Orange
grief transformed into celebration
Yellow
the sun's warmth guiding spirits home
Gold
precious memory