India GO
Flower · Tagetes erecta
African marigold
गेंदा (genda)
IUCN LC · Least concern
The dense orange and yellow pompom grown by the field-load for garlands, and sold by weight outside every temple.
How to recognise it
Strongly scented divided leaves and a tight ball of petals. Grown in flat beds around Indian cities and visible from any road out of town in October.
Where to see it
Agra
Marigolds are the working flower of Indian ritual: strung for doorways, weddings, vehicles and Diwali, and offered where a temple asks for flowers rather than money.
Ram Bagh (Aram Bagh) (in season) · Mehtab Bagh (in season)