Commercial Floriculture

Species

• There are about 33 species of the genus Tagetes.
  Some of the important are as follows
  1. Tagetes erecta (African marigold):
• Plant is hardy, annual, upto 90 cm tall, erect and branched.
• Flowers are single to fully double and large sized with globular heads.
• Flower varies from lemon yellow to yellow, golden yellow or orange.

2. Tagetes patula (French marigold):
• A hardy annual, about 30 cm tall, bushy type.
• Foliage is dark green with reddish stem.
• Flowers are small, either single or double
• The flower colour varies from yellow to mahogany red.

Other important species
3. T. tenuifolia (Syn. T. signata) – Bushy type (less than 30 cm)
4. T. lucida – Sweet scented marigold, perennial
5. T. lacera – Californian marigold, grow upto 120-150 cm in height
6. T. lemmonii – Shrubby marigold, grow upto 60-70 cm height bears small flowers. In India the cultivation of T. erecta and T. patula are dominant.

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