page_title: Tagetes
section_title: Cultivation and uses
hierarchical_section_title: Tagetes / Cultivation and uses
caption_attribution_description: Marigold flowers (tagetes patula), taken in park in Urbana, Illinois
context_page_description: Tagetes is a genus of annual or perennial, mostly herbaceous plants in the sunflower family. It was described as a genus by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.
  The genus is native of south of Mexico, but some species have become naturalized around the world. One species, T. minuta, is considered a noxious invasive plant in some areas.
context_section_description: Depending on the species, marigold foliage has a musky, pungent scent, though some varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests, as well as nematodes.  Tagetes species are hence often used in companion planting for tomato, eggplant, chili pepper, tobacco, and potato. Due to antibacterial thiophenes exuded by the roots, Tagetes should not be planted near any legume crop.  Some of the perennial species are deer-, rabbit-, rodent- and javalina or peccary-resistant.
  T. minuta (khakibush or huacatay), originally from South America, has been used as a source of essential oil for the perfume and industry known as tagette or "marigold oil", and as a flavourant in the food and tobacco industries.  It is commonly cultivated in South Africa, where the species is also a useful pioneer plant in the reclamation of disturbed land.
  The florets of Tagetes erecta are rich in the orange-yellow carotenoid lutein and are used as a food colour (INS number E161b) in the European Union for foods such as pasta, vegetable oil, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, baked goods, confectionery, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, citrus juice and mustard. In the United States, however, the powders and extracts are only approved as colorants in poultry feed.
  Marigolds are recorded as a food plant for some Lepidoptera caterpillars including the dot moth, and a nectar source for other butterflies. They are often part of butterfly gardening plantings.  In the wild, many species are pollinated by beetles.
caption: Tagetes patula flowers
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image DateTime": "2007:09:28 17:39:52", "Image ExifOffset": "127", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9227", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "10553", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/60", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:09:28 17:39:52", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:09:28 17:39:52", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "193557/32768", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "50", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3456", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2304", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "9167", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1728000/437", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "384000/97", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}