Marigolds - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Marigolds, both French and African, are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala. They were discovered in the early 16th century and brought to Europe and Northern Africa in the late 16th century where they were quickly adopted into gardens. The family name, Tagetes, is derived from a mythical Etruscan deity. In the wild, the French Marigold, Tagetes patula, is an 18 inch tall, bushy plant with heavily scented, feathery leaves. The flowers are daisy-like and pale yellow. The wild African Marigold is 4-5 feet high with 2-4 inch flowers that vary in color from pale yellow to deep orange. By the time the plants were introduced into Britain in the early 1600's, the African Marigold, Tagetes erecta, had naturalized along
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