October Birth Month Flower is Marigold

Marigold

Botanical Name :	Tagetes erecta
Common Name :	African Marigold
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	ta-GAY-teez e-REK-ta
Family Roots :	Member of the Asteraceae or Compositae (aster family). Native to Mexico and Central America. Common relatives include calendula, cosmos, dahlia, zinnia and strawflower.
Personality :	Flowers single or more often double, up to 2 inches across, at stem ends. Stems hollow, leafy, 24-32 inches long. Plant is an annual, classed as a dicotyledon. Flowers have a somewhat pungent odor, as do the leaves.
Availability :	Mostly summer but more being grown year-round.
Flower Color :	Yellow, orange, solid colors.
Decorative Life :	About 7-10 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Medium
Ethylene Comments :	Severe levels can cause epinasty or bending of the stems. Under some conditions where exposure to high ethylene levels is possible, treating with an anti-ethylene product could be beneficial.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Leaves left in vase water rot easily and have foul odor.
Storage Specifics :	In one study it is reported that 34-36F is best, but not recommended for long periods. In another study, French marigolds stored better at 40F compared to 33F.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Treating with the growth retardant Uniconazole for plug height control during production does not adversely affect subsequent growth and flowering.
Tidbits :	Named for Tages, an Etruscan deity, the grandson of Jupiter, who sprang from the ploughed earth. The Compositae or aster family is vast, with over 20,000 species, and is also one of the most developed families. It was named Compositae because the flowers are actually a "composite" of many individual flowers into one head. Hence, when children pull one "petal" off at a time, saying "she/he loves me, loves me not", they are actually removing a complete flower, not just a petal. Scent of foliage deters insects, roots exude chemical that repels soil nematodes. Marigolds often interplanted with crops or other ornamentals for pest control. The specific epithet name "erecta" means upright. Appropriately named Mary s Gold, these were the flowers of the Virgin Mary and were used to decorate church altars. Sometimes fed to chickens to improve yolk color. Suitable for drying. According to Creasy (1999), fresh petals are edible. Can be used in deviled eggs and butter and sprinkled over broccoli and other strong flavored vegetables. T. erecta are generally taller, have bigger flowers and their flowers often consist of one color whereas T. patula are shorter, smaller and have bicolored flowers.