Leaf
Sauvages de Beaumont, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
French marigold
Tagetes patula L.
Family: Asteraceae
20 to 40 cm tall
Grown in beds, borders and vegetable gardens as a companion plant, ordinary soils
Flowering: June – October
Full sun
Not hardy, annual plant sown every year, sensitive to the slightest frost
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
French marigold is traditionally planted among vegetables in the kitchen garden: the strong smell of its foliage and the substances released by its roots help to repel certain nematodes and pest insects.
🍃 Leaves
Finely divided, pinnate, giving off a strong, characteristic smell when crushed
🌸 Flowers
Double or single flower head, yellow, orange or red-brown, often bicoloured
🍎 Fruits
Slender achene topped with a pappus
🪵 Bark
Branched, upright herbaceous stem
🗺️ Distribution
Native to Mexico; very widely grown in France as a bedding annual and in the vegetable garden
🐝 Value for pollinators
Nectar-rich flowers visited by bees; the smell of the foliage repels certain pest insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Annual for bedding and the vegetable garden, planted as a companion to keep certain pests away from vegetables thanks to its smell
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity to humans; the sap may slightly irritate sensitive skin
🌿 Other Asteraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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