We may call them French or African but marigolds are native to Mexico. The Spanish who came to the Americas took them home where they flourished in North African and Iberian gardens. Eventually they arrived in England where they were called “marigolds” because they resembled calendulas, which the English called pot marigolds. The great taxonomist Linnaeus named them Tagetes after Tages, a grandson of Zeus who taught the Etruscans omens about weather.
You may wonder where the English term “marigold” came from. The Romans gave calendula its name because this cool-season annual bloomed for months on end. “Calend” is the Latin term for the first day of a month. Calendua is another edible flower which was also an herbal medicine. During the early Middle Ages, monks taught that Mary wore the flower as a symbol of the golden glow around her head. Thus it came to be called marigold or Mary-buds.
We are use three of the 50 species of Tagetes in our gardens. All have strongly aromatic foliage and boldly-colored flowers. Tall African marigolds have large, neon-bright orange or yellow flowers. French marigolds are much more compact and have numerous small flowers in a broad range of colors including bicolors. The “Zenith” series is a hybrid of these two species that blooms for months without deadheading.
Edible signet marigolds have lemon-scented foliage with single yellow or orange flowers. I have rarely seen them in garden centers but they are easy to start from seed. Wait until soil temperature warms as it is essential for root development. I like to plant them with vegetables or herbs because they repel insects. The petals have a spicy flavor similar to tarragon. Be sure to remove the bitter white tip at the base of the petal before eating.
In Mexico, the flower is called la flor de muerto, the flower of death. It is closely associated with the Day of the Dead, November 1. There is a folk tradition that the flowers sprang from the blood of Cortez’s victims when he conquered the Aztecs.
In closing, I will share a recipe from the cookbook Edible Flowers by Cathy Barash.
Morning Sunshine Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour 2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup sugar 2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped signet marigold petals
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl beat eggs. Mix in butter, milk, dates and marigold petals. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing just enough to evenly moisten. Spoon mixture into greased
muffin tins, filling halfway. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Makes 12 muffins.
Master gardener Ann Bartlett spends many happy hours gently munching the marigolds in the ornamental beds that surround her home.
