Tagetes: Uses (Ethnobotany)
Houseplant or interiorscape; landscape in flower gardens as tender, herbaceous annual.
Plant Profile: Tagetes
Taxonomy: TagetesNames
Marigold
Phonetic Spelling:TAG-e-teez
Genus:Tagetes
Species:spp.
Family:Asteraceae
Edible: The flowers possess a bitter taste accompanied by a spicy, herbal essence. Varieties such as 'Lemon Gem' and 'Tangerine Gem' are particularly flavorful. It is advisable to remove the bitter, white base of the petals, as consuming them in large quantities may pose health risks. These flowers can be used to infuse tea, enhance the color of dishes, and serve as a tarragon substitute.
Wildlife Value: This plant is rarely affected by deer.
Tags
#fragrant
#hummingbirds
#showy flowers
#poisonous
#summer annual
#apvg
#cpp
#edging
#deer resistant
#butterfly friendly
#apvg-a
#container plants
Similar Plants
Tagetes Feature Summary
Attributes
Houseplant or interiorscape; landscape in flower gardens as tender, herbaceous annual.
Mexico, Guatamala
Seldom damaged by deer
Lemon Gem’ and ‘Tangerine Gem’ have the best flavor; remove the bitter, white base of the petal. May be harmful if eaten in large amounts. Used in tea, coloring foods, substitute for tarragon.
Annual
Poisonous to Humans
Skin redness, burning pain, and blisters when broken skin is in contact with cell sap plus sunlight; nose and eye irritation from aroma of flowers.
Phototoxic thiophene derivatives
Leaves
Flowers
Roots
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Less than 12 inches
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Flowers
Gold/Yellow
Red/Burgundy
Orange
Edible
Long Bloom Season
Summer
Fall
< 1 inch
Leaves
Green
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Opposite
Alternate
Denticulate
Stem
Landscape
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
Cottage Garden
Container
Patio
Walkways
Recreational Play Area
Small Space
Houseplants
Pool/Hardscape
Butterflies
Songbirds
Poisonous to Humans
Contact Dermatitis
Tagetes Image Gallery
Tagetes Attributes
Tagetes: Country Or Region Of Origin
Mexico, Guatamala
Tagetes: Wildlife Value
Seldom damaged by deer
Tagetes: Edibility
Lemon Gem’ and ‘Tangerine Gem’ have the best flavor; remove the bitter, white base of the petal. May be harmful if eaten in large amounts. Used in tea, coloring foods, substitute for tarragon.
Tagetes: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Tagetes Poisonous to Humans
Tagetes: Poison Symptoms
Skin redness, burning pain, and blisters when broken skin is in contact with cell sap plus sunlight; nose and eye irritation from aroma of flowers.
Tagetes: Poison Toxic Principle
Phototoxic thiophene derivatives
Tagetes: Poison Severity
High
Low
Medium
Tagetes: Causes Contact Dermatitis
No
Yes
Tagetes: Poison Part
Bark
Flowers
Fruits
Leaves
Roots
Sap/Juice
Seeds
Stems
Tagetes Whole Plant Traits
Tagetes: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Tagetes: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Tagetes: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Tagetes Cultural Conditions
Tagetes: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Tagetes: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Tagetes: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Tagetes Flowers
Tagetes: Flower Color
Gold/Yellow
Orange
Red/Burgundy
Tagetes: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Tagetes: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Tagetes: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Tagetes Leaves
Tagetes: Leaf Color
Green
Tagetes: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Tagetes: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Tagetes: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Tagetes: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Tagetes Stem
Tagetes: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Tagetes Landscape
Tagetes: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Tagetes: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Tagetes: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Tagetes: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
Tagetes: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
