Tagetes erecta

African or french marigold, African or French Marigold

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

African or french marigold is a naturalized annual found in central and southwestern California in disturbed places at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces showy yellow to orange flowers with ray petals 10 to 30 millimeters long in distinctive heads. Growing 1 to 10 decimeters tall with erect, glabrous stems, it forms a robust and upright annual. Its leaves have serrated leaflets that create a delicate, finely-toothed appearance. The flower heads feature prominent ray flowers surrounded by numerous disk flowers, creating a full and vibrant botanical display.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: CW, SW

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.