Lemmon's marigold facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lemmon's marigold
Tagetes lemmonii flowers
Scientific classification
Genus:	Tagetes
Species:	lemmonii

The Tagetes lemmonii, also known as Lemmon's marigold, is a type of marigold plant. It's a shrub, which means it's a woody plant smaller than a tree. This plant belongs to the daisy family, which includes many well-known flowers like sunflowers and daisies! People also call it Copper Canyon Daisy, Mountain Marigold, or Mexican Marigold.

This marigold grows naturally in parts of North America. You can find it in Sonora and Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. It also grows in southern Arizona in the United States.

What Lemmon's Marigold Looks Like

Tagetes lemmonii is a shrub that can grow quite tall. It sometimes reaches up to 240 centimeters (about 8 feet) in height.

Its leaves can be as long as 12 centimeters (about 4.8 inches). Each leaf is made of 3 to 5 smaller parts, called leaflets. These leaflets are long and narrow, with tiny teeth on their edges.

The plant makes many small flower clusters. These are called flower heads. They often grow in a flat-topped group. Each flower head has 3 to 8 ray florets. These are like the petals you see on a daisy. It also has 12 to 30 disc florets. These are the tiny flowers found in the center of the flower head.

How It Got Its Name

This plant is named after John Gill Lemmon. He was the husband of an American botanist named Sara Plummer Lemmon.

Growing Lemmon's Marigold

Tagetes lemmonii is a great plant for gardens. It blooms from fall all the way into spring. Sometimes, it can even bloom for as long as 10 months! It can grow to be 8 feet tall and just as wide.

The leaves of this plant have a strong smell. You might notice it if you touch them. This marigold is very good at handling dry weather. It doesn't need a lot of water, especially in places with a Mediterranean climate. It is often used in gardens in California. It can even handle a little bit of cold weather without getting damaged.