Tagetes minuta L.

Family Description

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubs, rarely trees, tissues sometimes containing milky sap, glabrous, pubescent, tomentose, spinous or variously sessile- or stipitate-glandular. Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipuliform appendages), entire, toothed, lobed or variously dissected. Individual flowers usually numerous, aggregated and ± sessile (briefly immersed to very shortly stipitate) on a common receptacle and surrunded by an involucre of 1-many series of phyllaries (involucral bracts),the whole comprising a capitulum; phyllaries free, rarely connate; capitula solitary to very many, rarely agreegrated into secondary capitulum-like glomerules.Receptable sometimes bearing paleae (scales), hairs or bristles.Flowers (florets)epigynous, bisexual, female, m ale(at least functionally so) or neuter (sterile). Calyx absent, often replaced on apex of ovary by a pappus of 1 or more series of bristles and / orscales. Corolla gamopetalous, tabular throughout or dilated or 1(-2)-lipped above,variously truncate or 1-5-toothed at apex (appices); rarely corolla absent. Stamens (1-)5, epipetalous, filaments free anthers laterally connate into a cylinder around style (free in one species). Ovary inferior, 1-celled with one basal ovule; style usually divided above into two branches, sometimes entire on male flowers, emerging through anther cylinder, first collecting and exposing pollen,later exposing stigmatic surfaces if bisexual. Fruit an achene (cypsela) usually bearing a persistent or deciduous pappus; pappus sessile or borne on a beak(rostrum).

Genus Description

Strongly smelling glabrous annuals.Leaves pinnate,opposite or uppermost alternate;leaflets narrowly elliptic, serrate, conspicuously gland-dotted,solitary or in corymbs, radiate.Involucres cylindric-campanulate,1-seriate; phyllaries connate to near apex and bearing oil glands.Receptacle flat,naked.Ray flowers few to many, female. Disc flowers tubular-campanulate, bisexual; corolla 5-toothed;style branches flattened,widening slightly near apex,acute. Achenes linear, subcompressed, angular, blackish,empty and pale coloured at base.Pappus of few unequal connate scales and up to 2 elongate flattened awns.

Species description

Plant 0.3-2m;stem usually simple,erect,short-branched above.Leaves 5-16cm;leaflets 4-5 pairs,10-70 x 1.5-9.5mm,acuminate,attenuate at base,serrate,with rounded oil glands near margin at base of each tooth,others scattered near midrib.