Tagetes minuta

The stems are typically erect, grooved or ridged, initially green but often maturing to brownish or reddish. Stem forms branches usually only in the upper part, unless broken or cut off near the base. Leaves are opposite on the main stem and usually alternate on the laterals. Leaves are 5–20 cm long, slightly glossy-green and are pinnately compound with 4–6 pairs of pinnae. Leaflets are narrowly lanceolate, sharply toothed and 2–4 cm long. The scented, panicle-like inflorescences consist of 20–80 narrowly cylindrical capitula. The capitula are3–4 mm in diameter, surrounded by 4–5 fused involucre bracts. Ray and disk flowers barely extend beyond the phyllaries; ray flowers are 3–5 yellowish white, disk flowers are 10–15 usually yellow. The fruit is a dark-brownand finely hairy achene, 5-8 mm long, with a pappus of 4–8 scales of different lengths. The plant is strongly odorous. The undersurface of the leaves bears a number of small, orange glands, which exude a licorice-like aroma when ruptured.