pericón

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Mexican mint marigold
• Mexican-tarragon
• Texas-tarragon
• sweet marigold
• sweet-mace
• sweet-scent Mexican marigold
• sweet-scent marigold

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Tagetes lucida f. florida
• Tagetes pineda
• Tagetes florida
• Tagetes gilletii
• Tagetes anethina
• Tagetes schiedeana
• Tagetes seleri

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it falls under the order Asterales and is a member of the Asteraceae family. Specifically, it is categorized under the genus Tagetes.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution spanning across different continents. Within the Malesia region, its presence is specifically noted in Jawa. In North America, it is found extensively throughout various parts of Mexico. Specifically, its range includes Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, and Mexico Gulf. Additionally, the species can be located within the Mexico Northwest region.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Tagetes lucida is characterized by a variable lifecycle that can manifest as an annual, biennial, or perennial plant depending on environmental conditions and regional climates. As a member of the Asteraceae family, its development begins with seed germination, leading to a vegetative stage focused on the establishment of a robust root system and lush, aromatic foliage. Depending on its growth pattern, the plant may complete its reproductive cycle within a single growing season or persist through multiple years, eventually transitioning into a flowering stage where it produces distinctive yellow blooms. Following successful pollination, the plant produces seeds that facilitate the continuation of its life cycle, allowing it to colonize various habitats through its flexible temporal strategy.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Tagetes lucida is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, typically exhibiting a self-supporting structure that does not function as a climber, liana, or vine. The plant reaches an average height of approximately 0.8 m and thrives in terrestrial environments, functioning as an independent organism rather than a parasite or an epiphyte. Its overall habit is consistent with a herbaceous life form, lacking woody tissues throughout its primary structure.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

0.8 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Tagetes lucida is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation process through the direct carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate by the enzyme RuBisCO. This metabolic strategy involves the standard Calvin cycle, making the plant's energy production highly dependent on efficient stomatal conductance and light availability. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it lacks the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms, and instead relies on the uptake of nitrates and ammonium from the soil to satisfy its nutritional requirements for protein synthesis and cellular development.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Tagetes lucida is characterized by a biotic pollination syndrome, primarily facilitated by insects to ensure successful fertilization. This reliance on insect vectors highlights the plant's specialized reproductive strategy within its ecosystem. Following successful pollination, the plant produces seeds with highly specific morphological properties; the seed mass is remarkably small, ranging from a minimum of 0.0005 g to a maximum of 0.00093 g. On average, the seed mass is recorded at approximately 0.000615 g, a characteristic that influences the dispersal and establishment potential of the species.

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed mass max:

0.00093 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000615 g

Seed mass min:

5e-04 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Tagetes lucida has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, root.

Leaf

1. Journal of natural products

Root

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Chemicals

Tagetes lucida has 78 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 7-Methoxycoumarin, Herniarin, (E)-Anethole, (E)-alpha-bergamotene, (E)-beta-farnesene.

7-Methoxycoumarin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of natural products

Herniarin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

(E)-Anethole

1. Dr. Duke

(E)-alpha-bergamotene

1. Dr. Duke

(E)-beta-farnesene

1. Dr. Duke

(E)-beta-ocimene

1. Dr. Duke

(E)-nerolidol

1. Dr. Duke

(E,E)-alpha-farnesene

1. Dr. Duke

(Z)-BETA-OCIMENE

1. Dr. Duke

(Z)-Jasmone

1. Dr. Duke

Activities

Tagetes lucida has 225 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Analgesic, Antinociceptive, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, (-)-Chronotropic.

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antinociceptive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmaceutical biology

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Proceedings of the Western Pharmacology Society

(-)-Chronotropic

1. Dr. Duke

(-)-Inotropic

1. Dr. Duke

ACE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

AChE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Abortifacient

1. Dr. Duke

Acaricide

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Tagetes lucida has 6 reported investigations on conditions identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include pain, Neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, enterobacterial infections, neuroinflammation.

Pain

1. Life sciences
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Neuroinflammation

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Cognitive impairment

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Enterobacterial infections

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Neuroinflammation

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Stereotyped behavior

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations

Tagetes lucida has 7 reported preparations identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include TlAq, TlEA, TlHex, TlMet, coumarins.

Tlaq

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Tlea

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Tlhex

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Tlmet

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Coumarins

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Extracts

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Shoots

1. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)