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African marigold, African or French marigold, American marigold, Aztec marigold, French marigold, French or African marigold, Mexican marigold

Habit Annuals, 10–120+ cm.
Leaf

blades 30–120(–250+) mm overall, principal lobes/leaflets 9–25, lanceolate to lance-linear, 15–25(–45+) × 3–8(–12+) mm.

Peduncles

30–100(–150+) mm.

Involucres

10–22+ × (3–)5–12+ mm.

Ray florets

(3–)5–8+ (to 100+ in “double” cultivars);

laminae yellow to orange, red-brown (sometimes particolored: yellow/red-brown), or white (some cultivars), ± flabellate to oval-quadrate, (2–)12–18(–25+) mm.

Disc florets

(10–)50–120+;

corollas 7–12+ mm.

Heads

borne ± singly.

Cypselae

6–11 mm;

pappi of 0–2, ± subulate-aristate scales 6–12+ mm plus 2–4 distinct or connate, linear-oblong, ± erose scales 2–6+ mm.

2n

= 24, 48.

Tagetes erecta

Asteraceae tribe heliantheae subtribe pectidinae

Phenology Flowering ± year round.
Habitat Disturbed sites
Elevation 0–1000+ m (0–3300+ ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; FL; IL; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; NC; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; UT; VA; VT; WI; WY; Mexico
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Discussion

Cultivars of Tagetes erecta are widely grown in gardens and, commercially, for cut flowers. They often persist after abandoned plantings. Tetraploid plants (2n = 48) with smaller involucres and wholly or partially red-brown corollas included here in T. erecta have been called T. patula by some botanists.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 236.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Pectidinae > Tagetes
Sibling taxa
T. lemmonii, T. micrantha, T. minuta
Synonyms T. patula, T. tenuifolia
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 887. (1753)
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