Aztec Marigold

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Tagetes erecta, the Aztec marigold, Mexican marigold, big marigold, cempazúchitl or cempasúchil,[2][3] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tagetes native to Mexico. Despite being native to the Americas, it is often called the African marigold.[4][5] In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of México, Michoacán, Puebla, and Veracruz.

This Día de los Muertos altar on display at a public shrine in Oaxaca, Mexico, shows several traditional ofrendas, including cempasúchil -- the Aztec name of the marigold flower native to Mexico. Gabriel Perez/Getty Images hide caption

Bob Mellano, a vice president of Mellano & Co., one of California's largest flower farms, says the company has greatly expanded its production and harvest of marigolds due to growing demand in recent years. Sergio Mendoza Hochmann/Getty Images hide caption

He noted the family-run business, which farms 450 acres, has greatly increased its production of marigolds in recent years. "That has to do with the growing Hispanic and Mexican population here," and he suspects the arrival of Día de los Muertos in popular culture.

"That could be why you see marigolds everywhere now. Before they were more a specialty item and you'd only see them for a short time," Mellano said. As soon as Oct. 1 rolls around, he said, "they're a must have for wholesalers, flower shops and even grocery stores."

"Just in the last few weeks, a lot of my clients coming in for marigolds, who are mostly young Latinx women, told me this is the first time they are celebrating Día de los Muertos. So they're now adopting this tradition and just owning it and I'll take that any day," Xoch said.

People visit a community altar decorated with marigolds at Grand Park in Los Angeles. Mother and daughter Chicana artists Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza have overseen the design of the altar at Grand Park since 2013. It's one of 11 huge altars done in a collaboration between Grand Park and Self Help Graphics, an organization highlighting Chicano and Latino artists and social justice. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

African marigold is most often used as a bedding plant or container plant where lots of bright, long-lasting color is the goal. It is beloved as a cut flower. This type of marigold was sacred to the Aztecs, who used them for medicine and ceremoniously offered them to the sun gods. Today, marigolds are still called the herb of the sun and Mexican marigolds are often placed on altars on The Day of the Dead."}},{"@type": "Question","name": "Do African marigolds really repel garden pests?","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "It's long been thought that marigolds serve as an effective repellant to many types of garden pests, from mosquitoes to deer. In reality, such claims are largely myth, even though dozens of online sources continue to claim semi-magical benefits from marigolds.One exception is that some marigolds emit a chemical through the roots that can be helpful in controlling some types of damaging soil nematodes. But the marigolds most likely to have this benefit are French marigolds (T. patula), not African marigolds.A great many gardeners who plant marigolds thinking they will keep rabbits, aphids, and other pests out of the garden are sorely disappointed. But marigolds do attract bees, butterflies, and ladybugs, all of which are quite welcome garden residents."}}]}]}] .icon-garden-review-1{fill:#b1dede}.icon-garden-review-2{fill:none;stroke:#01727a;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round} > buttonbuttonThe Spruce The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook NewslettersClose search formOpen search formSearch DecorRoom DesignDecoratingDesign StylesSmall SpacesFeng Shui See all GardenPlants A to ZHouseplantsLandscapingPests & ProblemsWild BirdsIn the Weeds With Plant PeopleThe Spruce Gardening Review Board See all Home ImprovementSkills & SpecialtiesPaintingKitchenBathroomInterior RemodelExteriorsOutdoor BuildingHome ServicesGreen ImprovementsThe Spruce Home Improvement Review Board See all CleaningCleaningOrganizingLaundryPest ControlThe Spruce Cleaning Review Board See all CelebrationsEvents & PartiesEtiquette & AdviceBirthdaysGraduations See all What to BuyHow We Test ProductsBeddingFurnitureVacuumsBest GiftsCleaning Products See all NewsHome TrendsBrands & CollectionsSales & DealsHouse ToursPerspectives"One Thing" Video SeriesIn the Weeds With Plant People See all About UsEditorial PolicyProduct TestingDiversity & InclusionGardening Review BoardHome Improvement Review BoardCleaning Review Board See all Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever.Subscribe The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook About UsNewsletterPress and MediaContact UsEditorial GuidelinesGardeningPlants & FlowersAnnualsHow to Grow and Care for African Marigold (Mexican Marigold)By

African marigold is most often used as a bedding plant or container plant where lots of bright, long-lasting color is the goal. It is beloved as a cut flower. This type of marigold was sacred to the Aztecs, who used them for medicine and ceremoniously offered them to the sun gods. Today, marigolds are still called the herb of the sun and Mexican marigolds are often placed on altars on The Day of the Dead.

It's long been thought that marigolds serve as an effective repellant to many types of garden pests, from mosquitoes to deer. In reality, such claims are largely myth, even though dozens of online sources continue to claim semi-magical benefits from marigolds.

One exception is that some marigolds emit a chemical through the roots that can be helpful in controlling some types of damaging soil nematodes. But the marigolds most likely to have this benefit are French marigolds (T. patula), not African marigolds.

A great many gardeners who plant marigolds thinking they will keep rabbits, aphids, and other pests out of the garden are sorely disappointed. But marigolds do attract bees, butterflies, and ladybugs, all of which are quite welcome garden residents.

Commercially available Aztec marigold (Tagetes erecta) flower extract (Af.Cr) was evaluated for the in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo analgesic effect on acetic-acid-induced abdominal writhing. The results revealed the presence of pronounced antioxidant potential in Aztec marigold flowers and a dose-dependent (100 and 300 mg/kg) analgesic effect. The antioxidant and analgesic activities obtained seem to be in good accordance with the medicinal uses of Aztec marigold as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic.

For centuries, Día de Muertos celebrations in Mexico have been characterized by the vibrant yellow and orange hues of the marigold flower, also known as cempasúchil. The flower is one of the most iconic symbols of the annual holiday that celebrates and honoring the dearly departed. But how did cempasúchil become such an integral part of Día de Muertos celebrations?

Tagetes erecta, or African Marigold, is a frequently cultivated, tender, flowering, herbaceous annual or houseplant known for its large flowerheads. Tall varieties may need staking, and spent flowers should be promptly deadheaded, as flower heads are heavy and can cause stems to snap. Triploid F1 hybrids (T. erecta x T. patula) combine the large flowers of the African marigold with the more compact size of the French marigold into vigorous plants featuring 2 to 3 inch diameter flowers on stems rising 10 to 18 inches tall. These triploids seem unaffected by high summer heat and generally bloom throughout the summer. The genus, Tagetes, is named for an Etruscan deity, Tages and the specific epithet means erect or upright.

Aztec marigold has been collected in the wild only in Massachusetts, but cultivars of this annual plant, in a range of sizes and colors, are popular garden flowers, and may persist after planting. It is native to Mexico and Central America, where it has long been used as a medicinal herb and dye plant.

Mexican marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) is an herbaceous plant from the sunflower family, cultivated commercially for its yellow flowers, both as an ornamental plant and as a source of feed pigments and food colouring additives.

Mexican marigold is an erect annual herb that grows up to a height of 180 cm. The inflorescence is a solitary terminal head, up to 12 cm in diameter, bright yellow in wild types, lemon-yellow to deep brown-red in cultivated types. There are numerous (mostly ornamental) cultivars of Mexican marigold, differing in flower colour, flowerhead size and plant height (Setshogo, 2005).

Marigold meal and marigold extracts are used in poultry feed for colouring the skin, flesh (fat) and egg yolks (Martinez et al., 2004; Muñoz-Díaz et al., 2012), and more rarely in aquacultural feeds (fish and crustacean) (Setshogo, 2005). When authorized by local regulations, marigold extracts are used as a yellow to orange colorant in a wide variety of food products including baked goods and baking mixes, beverages and beverage bases, breakfast cereals, chewing gum, dairy product analogues, egg products, fats and oils, frozen dairy desserts and mixes, gravies and sauces, soft and hard candy, infant and toddler foods, milk products, processed fruits and fruit juices, soups and soup mixes (Cantrill, 2004). Fresh and dry flowers are also used to dye wool, silk and cellulose fibres (Setshogo, 2005). 781b155fdc