Tagetes lucida (sweetscented marigold)

Japanese name: ミントマリゴールド
Scientific name: Tagetes lucida

[Overview]
A perennial 45–75 cm tall.
The whole plant has a sweet fragrance.
The leaves are simple and alternate, linear to elliptic, about 7 cm long, with fine serrations on the margins.
Flower heads about 2 cm across gather in cymose clusters at the stem tips.
The flower heads are yellow, with 3–5 ray flowers around the edge.
The fruit is an achene.

[Uses]
Because the leaves have a tarragon-like flavor, they are used in cooking as a substitute.
The leaves and flowers are also dried and used medicinally or as herbal tea.
The flowers are also used as a yellow dye.
Because it is effective in controlling nematodes, it is also used as a companion plant when growing vegetables.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by shoot cuttings.
It tolerates temperatures down to about −5°C, so it can overwinter outdoors in areas without frost.
In other areas, protect it from the cold by cutting it back to about 1/3 of its height and applying a straw mulch, for example.
It grows well in any soil as long as it is sunny and well drained.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
With too much fertilizer, only the leaves grow and it flowers poorly, so unless the soil is very poor, a base fertilizer alone is sufficient.
Spider mites can occur.

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