Description: An aromatic annual herb with upright branched stems and large yellow, orange or golden flower heads.

Identification: Strongly scented foliage; pinnately divided leaves; large rounded flower heads.

Habitat & distribution: Cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical regions as an ornamental flowering plant.

Uses / importance: Widely used for decoration, religious offerings, garlands and landscaping. Flowers are also valuable to pollinating insects.

Taxonomy:
Kingdom – Plantae
Clade – Angiosperms
Clade – Eudicots
Order – Asterales
Family – Asteraceae
Genus – Tagetes
Species – T. erecta

Sources: Kew POWO; horticultural references.