The Characters are, 
The common empalement of the flower is f ingle , of one 
leaf oblong , erebt, and five-cornered the flower is com- 
pound and radiated ; the rays or border is compofed of fe- 
male half florets which are tongue-fhaped. The dijk or 
middle is made up of hermaphrodite florets which are tu- 
bulous , and cut into five obtufe fegments , thefe have five 
Jhort hair-like ftamina , terminated by cylindrical fummits , 
and an oblong germen fupporting a Jhort flender ftyle , 
crowned by a thin , bifid, reflexed ftigma. The germen 
afterward becomes a Jingle , linear , comprejfed feed , almofi 
the length of the empalement , crowned by five acute-pointed 
unequal fcales. The female half florets have an oblong 
germen , with a ftyle and ftigma like the hermaphrodite , 
and are fucceeded by feeds of the fame form , but have no 
ftamina. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fecftion 
of I hnnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, which contains thofe 
plants whofe flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite 
and female florets which are fruitful, and have their 
fummits connected. 
The Species are, 
J. Tagetes ( Eredta ) caule fimplici eredto, peduncu- 
lis nudis unifloris. Hort. Cliff'. 418. Tagetes with a 
fingle erect ftalk , and naked foot-ftalks bearing Jingle 
flowers. Tagetes maximus rectus, flore fimplici ex 
luteo pallido. LB. 3. p. 100. Great eft upright African 
Marigold , with a pale , fingle , yellow flower. 
2. Tagetes (fPatula) caule fubdivifo patulo. Hort. 
Cliff. 418. Tagetes with a fpreading fubdivided ftalk. 
Tagetes Indicus minor, multiplicato flore. Tourn. 
Inft. 488. Smaller Indian Tagetes with double flowers , 
commonly called French Marigold. 
3. Tagetes ( Minuta ) caule fimplici redo, pedunculis 
fquamoffs multifloris. Hort. Cliff. 419. Tagetes with 
a Jingle erebt ftalk , and fcaly foot-Jlalks bearing many 
flowers. Tagetes multiflora minuto flore albican te. 
Hort. Elth. 374. Many-flowering Tagetes with a fmall 
white flower. 
4. Tagetes ( Rotundifolia ) caule fimplici eredo, foliis 
cordatis fimplicibus, pedunculis nudis unifloris. Ta- 
getes with a Jingle ftalk , fimple heart-Jhaped leaves , and 
naked foot-ftalks having one flower. Tagetes America- 
na, folio fingulari fubrotundo. Houft. MSS. American 
Tagetes with a fingle roundiflo leaf. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Mexico, but has been 
long cultivated in the Englifh gardens, where it is 
commonly titled African, or African Marigold ; of 
this there are the following varieties : 
x. Pale yellow, or brimftone colour, with fingle, 
double, and fiftulous flowers. 
2. Deep yellow, with fingle, double, and fiftulous 
flowers. 
3. Orange-coloured, with fingle, double, and fiftu- 
lous flowers. 
4. Middling African, with Orange-coloured flowers. 
5. Sweet- fcented African. 
Thefe are all very fubjed to vary, fo that unlefs the 
feeds are very carefully faved from the fineft flowers, 
they are very apt to degenerate •, nor ftiould their feeds 
be too long fpvyn in the fame garden without changing 
It, for the [feme reafon ; therefore, thofe who are de- 
firous to have* thefe flowers in perfection, fhould ex- 
change their feeds with fome perfon of integrity at a 
diftance, where the foil is of a different nature, at 
leaft every other year. If this is done, the varieties 
may be continued in perfection. 
This plant is fo well known as to need no defcription. 
It flowers from the beginning of July till the froft 
puts a flop to it. The fecond fort grows naturally in 
Mexico, but has been long in the Englifh gardens, 
•where it is diftinguiflied from the firft by the title of 
French Marigold. 
Of this there are feveral varieties, fome of which 
have much larger flowers than others, and their co- 
lour varies greatly - 3 there are fome which are beau- 
tifully variegated, and others quite plain ; but as thefe 
are accidents arifing from culture, fo they do not 
merit farther diftindion, for I have always found that 
feeds faved from the mpft beautiful flowers will dege- 
nerate, efpecially if they are fown in the fame garden 
for two or three years together, without changing the 
feed. 
Thefe plants are annual, fo muft be propagated from 
feeds every fpring, which may be fown upon a mode- 
rate hot-bed the beginning of April ; and when the 
plants are come up, they fhould have plenty of frefh 
air, for if they are drawn too much, they will not af- 
terward become handibipe, notwithftanding they have 
all pofiible care taken of them. When they are about 
three inches high, they fhould be tranfplanted on a 
very moderate hot^bed, which may be arched over 
with hoops, and covered with mats, for thefe plants 
are hardy enough to be brought up without glades j 
in this bed they fhould be planted about fix inches 
afunder each way, obferving to water and fhade them 
until they have taken root ; but as the plants acquire 
ftrength, they fhould be inured to bear the open ait 
by degrees, and about the beginning of May they 
fhould be taken ud, with a ball of earth to the root 
of each plant, and planted into the borders of the par- 
terre-garden, or into pots, for furnifhing the courts, 
&c. fhading them carefully from the fun till they 
have taken new root, and alfo fupplying them duly 
with water. When their flowers appear, if any fhould 
prove fingle, the plants fhould be deftroyed, and thert 
thofe in pots may be removed to the court where the 
leveral varieties, being intermixed with other annual 
plants, afford an agreeable variety. 
Thefe plants have a ftrong difagreeable fcent, efpe- 
cially when handled, for which reafon they are not 
fo greatly effeemed for planting near habitations •, but 
the flowers of the fweet- fcented fort, being more 
agreeable, are generally preferred, efpecially for plant- 
ing in fmall gardens. 
The third fort grows naturally in Chili in the Spanifli 
Weft-Indies. This is a plant of taller growth than 
either of the former. The ftalk is fingle, erect, and 
branches a little toward the top ; it rifes about ten 
feet high •, the branches grow ered. The leaves are 
narrower than either of the other. The foot-ftalks 
of the flowers are fcaly and (land ered, clofe to the 
ftalk ; thefe fuftain three or four fmall white flowers, 
which appear very late in autumn, fo that unlefs it is 
kept in a glafs-cafe the feeds will not ripen here. This 
plant has very little beauty, fo is only prelerved for 
the fake of variety. 
The fourth fort rifes with an upright ftalk about two 
feet high, fending out a few branches toward the top, 
garnifhed with heart-lhaped leaves Handing upon long 
flender foot-ftalks ; thole on the lower part of the 
ftalk are two inches and a half long, and one and a 
half broad toward their bafe, ending in very acute 
points, being in Ih ape like thofe of the black Poplar, 
rough to the touch, and are (lightly crenated on their 
edges ; the branches and ftalks are each terminated by 
one large yellow flower Handing upon a long naked 
foot-ftalk. The empalement of the flower is fhort ; 
the leaves of which it is compofed are oblong and 
oval, drawing to a point. The female florets, which 
compofe the rays or border, are much longer than 
the empalement. The hermaphrodite florets in the 
diik or middle are equal ; they are of a deep yellow 
colour, and make a good appearance, for the flowers 
are double. This plant was difcovered by the late Dr. 
Houftoun growing naturally at La Vera Cruz in New 
Spain, from whence he fent the feeds to England. 
The two laft forts are not fo hardy as the former, fo 
the feeds of thefe fhould be fown earlier in the fpring 
upon a good hot-bed, and when the plants are fit to 
remove, they ftiould be tranfplanted on a frefh hot- 
bed, at about three inches diftance each way, ob- 
ferving to fhade them from the fun till they have ta- 
ken new root, then they fhould be treated in the fame 
way as the Amaranthus, and other tender annual 
plants, being careful not to draw them up weak ; 
when they have fpread fo as to meet each other, they 
fhould be taken up with balls of earth to their roots, 
and planted in pots with light rich earth, and plunged 
into a hot-bed under a deep frame, where, the plants 
13 ^ may 
