Tagetes lemmonii
Lemmon Marigold
Family: Asteraceae
Herbaceous perennial that can grow very large, usually 2-3’ tall and wide. Golden yellow daisy flowers in warm weather, but heaviest in fall. Foliage has an incredible aroma.
Full to part sun, moderate water, hardy to at least in the low teens °F. Cut back as needed.
Nectar rich flowers provide for butterflies, bees, and other nectar-seeking insects. Granivorous birds consume the seeds.
This species is used as a tea. Its flavor is similar to a plant known as “Peruvian Black Mint” or Huacatay or Tagetes minuta, and can be substituted for such.
Tagetes is named after the Etruscan god Tages, while lemmonii is probably named for John Gil Lemmon (1832-1908) and his wife Sara Plummer Lemmon (1836-1923) who collected plants for Asa Gray all across the west.
Found on rich, moist soils, in canyons, from 4,000-8,000 ft. from the state of Arizona, south through Mexico along the Sierra Madre Occidental.
NOTE: This species is often confused with Tagetes palmeri, especially in the landscape trade, and some people think it is the old name (a synonym) for T. lemmonii, but that is not correct: the true Tagetes lemmonii is a small herbaceous forb, found in mid-elevation desert and oak-juniper chaparral in southern Arizona and northern Mexico. It is quite cold hardy compared to Tagetes palmeri. T. lemmonii easily takes temperatures down to the low teens, probably lower. It also has large glands along the leaf margins which is the surest ID clue you can use to determine what plant you have. Tagetes palmeri is a subtropical woody shrub that sulks below freezing temperatures and dies much below 20 °F. T. palmeri lacks the distinct glands on the leaves, and quite frankly, has a less pleasant scent. These plants often come from California growers (via chain nurseries).
The glands on the bottom of the leaf that will positively ID Tagetes lemmonii from T. palmeri, Photo by Anthony Mendoza, SEINET