| Tagetes erecta | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Tagetes |
| Species: | T. erecta |
| Binomial name | |
| Tagetes erecta | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
List
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Tagetes erecta, theAztec marigold,Mexican marigold,big marigold,cempaxochitl orcempasúchil,[2][3] is a species offlowering plant in the genusTagetes native toMexico andCentral America.[4] Despite being native to the Americas, it is often called theAfrican marigold.[5][4] In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in thestates ofMéxico,Michoacán,Puebla,Veracruz andGuerrero.[6]
This plant reaches heights of between 20 and 90 cm (7.9 and 35.4 in). TheAztecs gathered the wild plant as well as cultivating it for medicinal, ceremonial and decorative purposes; it was introduced to Europe after theSpanish conquest of theAztec Empire and colonization[7]: 7 and became widely cultivated commercially with manycultivars in use asornamental plants,[8] and for thecut-flower trade.[9][10]
Some authorities regardTagetes patula (the French marigold) as asynonym ofTagetes erecta.[11]
The Spanish namecempazúchitl (orcempasúchil) comes from theNahuatlcempohualxochitl ("twenty flower")[12] – 20 (cempohualli) is the base of the Aztecvigesimal counting system, consequently a symbol of completion including in life reflected in measurements liketheir calendrical daycount.[7]: 12 The English namemarigold comes from their petals' arrangement resemblingCalendula officinalis, also called "Mary's gold" or "marigold".[13]
InThai, it is calledดาวเรืองdaao reuaang meaning "glittering star".[14]
It is aherbaceousannual orperennial plant whose height ranges from 30–110 cm. The root is cylindrical, pivoting, with afibrous and shallowbranching system. The stem is striated, sometimes ridged, smooth or slightly with villi, cylindrical, oval and herbaceous to slightly woody, withresin channels in the bark, which arearomatic when squeezed. Opposite leaves at the bottom alternate at the top, up to 20 cm long, pinnate, composed of 11 to 17 leaflets,lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, up to 5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, acute to acuminate, serrated to sub-holders, the lower ones of each leaf frequently setiform (in the form of threads), the superiors are sometimes completely setiform; with abundant round glands.[15]
The main characteristic of the flowers is that they are grouped in small heads or in solitaryinflorescences, onpeduncles up to 15 cm long, they are liguladas of yellow colors to red. In the flowers of the disc: 150 to 250 in the simple heads, in the doubles it shows different degrees of transformation inligules, yellow to orangecorollas, of 8 to 10 mm in length. The fruits and seeds are: linear achenes 7 to 10 mm long, smooth or slightly covered with stiff hairs at the corners. It has a long flowering period extending throughout the summer and fall. It reproduces easily by seeds.[16]
Although native to Mexico, they are also found in the countries ofCentral America and theCaribbean: Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.[17]
In their wild form they are found in the Balsas basin and western Mexico and live in diverse types of ecosystems, such as tropical deciduous forests, thorny forests, cloud forests and pine-oak forests. In the wild, it is found as a getaway in heavily disturbed places at altitudes of 800–2300 m.[18]
As an introduced species (cultivated) it can be found in China, India, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Australia.
The archaeological record of the use ofTagetes erecta among pre-Hispanic civilizations is not as abundant as in the case of other species of the same family. For example, it has been possible to establish the ceremonial use among theMexica ofT. lucida as an aromatic plant, which they called yauhtli, through the chemical analysis of the incense burners found in the remains of theTemplo Mayor in Mexico City.[19] TheNahuatl term cempoalxóchitl, was used to refer to several species of flowers, which includesT. erecta,T. lucida,T. patula,T. lunulata,T. tenuifolia,T. peduncularis andT. elongata. This complicates the differentiation of one species and another when such a term is used, however, it appears thatT. erecta was primarily named by this term.
The identification ofT. erecta as some flowers represented in Aztec art, such as those seen in theCoyolxauhqui monolith, as part of the goddess's headdress, has been proposed as a symbol of her sovereignty or her death. They are part of the necklace that a plant deity wears in a vase found in the Templo Mayor, although it could also beT. patula. With the arrival of theSpaniards in Mexico, the documentary record of the ceremonial and medicinal use ofT. erecta increased in which the flower is described byBernardino de Sahagún as:[20]
These flowers are calledCempoalxóchitl; they are yellow and of good smell, and wide and beautiful, that they are born, and others that sow them in the orchards; They are in two ways, some they call femalesCempoalxóchitl and they are big and beautiful, and others that are calledCempoalxóchitl males are not so beautiful or so big.
Sahagún also describes, in the same work, that the plant had a role in the rituals of the religious Mexica festival in themonth ofTeculhuitontli, where the goddess of saltHuixtocíhuatl, whose color was yellow, was celebrated and who offered herself as sacrifice a woman. In the work of the physicianFrancisco Hernández, it is described that the namecempoalxóchitl received at least seven types of flowers, noting that the term properly described the largest of them and that the Spaniards called it carnation of Indian, also lists its medical properties.[21]
It is widely cultivated and there are manycultivars used in gardening as anornamental plant. The cultivar 'Inca Orange' has gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[22][23]
In Mexico, it is used in the festivities of theDay of the Dead, to decorate altars and tombs; hence the name "flower of the dead". However, since antiquity it is also used for food and medicinal purposes.
The meaning of the flower's name to the Aztecs makes thecempasúchil symbolic and used in theDía de Muertos celebration every 2 November in Mexico, it is also called theflor de muertos ("flower of the dead").[7][24] Water infused with its fragrantessential oil is used to washcorpses inHonduras, and the flower is still commonly planted incemeteries.[25]
Sinceprehispanic times, this plant has been used for medicinal purposes.[26] TheCherokee used it as a skin wash and for yellow dye.[27] The pigments of the erect tagetes are due to the presence ofcarotenoids, of which the main one islutein, which is associated with the prevention of the development of age-relatedeye diseases such ascataracts andmacular degeneration. The most intense orange tones of the flowers are related to a higher content of carotenoids, especially xanthophyll. Some studies indicate the effectiveness of the latter in the prevention ofcoronary artery disease,heart attacks, immune response, old age andcancer. In some regions of Mexico it is used indigestiveailments, such asstomach pain, as well asdiarrhea,colic, liver problems,bile,vomiting, andindigestion. The plant also has a history of use againstintestinal parasites and worms with one study indicating that it has a different mechanism than the anthelmintic druglevamisole.[28] Other uses include respiratory diseases such as colds,flu,bronchitis andnasal congestion as well asgynecological problems.[29]
Antioxidant activity has been discovered in theessential oil of this plant although less than that ofα-Tocopherol, possibly attributable to the presence ofcamphor andmethyl eugenol.[30] It is most effective against the nematode speciesPratylenchus penetrans.[25]
The ray florets have been used inlettuce salads and other foods to add colour and flavour. The flowers are rich in carotenoids, and are thus used to make food and feed pigments.[31] The dried flower petals, ground to a powder, are used in poultry feed to ensure a good colouration ofegg yolks and broiler skin, especially in the absence of well-pigmentedyellow maize in the feed.[32] This is still in use today, but now usually in the form of an extract which may have advantages of lower transport and storage cost, better stability and better utilization. It is also used to enhance colouring incrustaceans,[25] such as thePacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).[33]
The essential oil of the flower containsantioxidants.[34] It may be added toperfumes to infuse anapple scent into them.[35]
It is used as a natural dye on textiles.[36]
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Media related toTagetes erecta at Wikimedia Commons
