Ahito is an ornamental plant, a rather coarse, erect, glabrous
branched, rank-smelling annual herb, 0.4 to 1 meter high. Leaves
are 4 to 11 centimeters long, very deeply pinnatifid, with
lanceolate lobes, coarsely and sharply toothed, 1 to 2.5
centimeters long. Heads are solitary, 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters
long, 2 to 4 centimeters in diameter, long-peduncled, with the
peduncle thickened upward. Involucre is green. Flowers are pale
to deep yellow. Ray flowers are 1-seriate, female, the ligule
entire or 2-toothed, short or long. Disk flowers are perfect,
regular, tubular limb usually somewhat enlarged, 5-fid. Fruits
are achenes, linear, narrowed below, compressed or angled, 6 to
7 millimeters long. - Ornamental cultivation throughout most of
Philippines, - Spontaneous and naturalized in some localities. -
Flowering all year. - Now planted in all warm countries. Flower
and leaves. • Marigold is the richest and purest source of
lutein. • Phytochemical studies isolated flavonoids,
carotenoids, xanthophylls and polyke