Practical
Plants

Tagetes filifolia

Irish Lace

an annual member of the Tagetes genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Tagetes
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.4 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plants are used as a food flavouring[1].

Product or use
Condiment

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although no specific mention of the following use has been seen for this species, most if not all members of this genus probably have a similar effect to a greater or lesser degree. Secretions from the roots of growing plants have an insecticidal effect on the soil, effective against nematodes and to some extent against keeled slugs. These secretions are produced about 3 - 4 months after sowing[3]. The growing plant is also said to repel insects and can be grown amongst crops such as potatoes and tomatoes.

Product or use
Insecticide
Product or use
Repellent

Environment

Range
C. and S. America - Mexico to Costa Rica
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a well-drained moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils and in sandy soils[2]. Grows well with tomatoes. Removing dead flowers before the seed is formed will extend the flowering season[2]. Plants are prone to slugs, snails and botrytis[2].

References

  1. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  2. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page