Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

The Mexican Marigold produces dense, globe-shaped pompom blooms in vivid shades of orange and gold—its petals are so rich in carotenoid pigments that they're cultivated as a natural dye and fed to poultry to deepen egg-yolk colour. A staple of Día de los Muertos altars, its resinous scent also makes it a favourite companion plant for deterring garden pests.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Tagetes
Species: Tagetes erecta