Mexican marigold
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Known in Mexico as ‘the flower of the dead’, the Mexican marigold plays a key role in the annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival.
The blooms are used to decorate altars to the dead, known as ‘ofrendas’, with their bright orange colour and strong scent thought to help guide the spirits of the dead home.
The flowers have played a role in rituals in Central America since Aztec times, with their Nahuatl name cempoalxóchitl meaning ‘twenty flowers’.
As well as having great cultural significance, Mexican marigolds have also been used in local medicines for hundreds of years, including remedies for fevers, colds and digestive problems.
Plant description
Mexican marigolds grow between 50cm to 1m tall, with leaves on opposite sides of the stem. The leaves reach around 3cm long, with jagged edges, and grow in bundles on smaller stems from the main stem. At the top of the stems, inflorescences grow in disc shapes, made up of over 100 individual flowers, which can be yellow to orange.
Plant uses
Cultural
Known as the flower of the dead, the Mexican marigold plays a vital role in the Mexican Day of the Dead festival, being used to decorate shrines to family members.
Food and drink
The dried petals are fed to various livestock animals, including chickens and shrimp, to enhance colour in the food product.
Health
Mexican marigolds have been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years, including as treatment for digestive problems and respiratory diseases.
Materials and fuels
Mexican marigolds are used to produce a yellow dye for use on textiles.
Did you know?
There are a number of varieties of Mexican marigold, including ‘Big Top’, ‘Perfection’ and ‘Inca’.
Tagetes erecta is often known as the African marigold, as it became a common species along the North African coast after being introduced in the 16th century.
Where in the world?
Naturalised in many countries around the world, in forests and grasslands, thriving in poor soils between 800 and 2300m.
