The bright orange, pungent flower used for the Day of the Dead celebrations known as the marigold looks like a big carnation. But unlike the common, ordinary carnation, the marigold is the most crucial flower used in the Day of the Dead celebration.

The marigolds association with the Day of the Dead has made it a huge November commodity.The flower is used to commemorate the deceased and decorate altars, gravesites, homes and more during the Nov. 12 celebrations.

Before the arrival of Cortez to the Valley of Mexico in 1519, marigolds were called miccaxochitl which translates as “flower of the dead.”. The modern nahuatl name is cempoalxotchil, but botanists call it Tagetes-erecta, one of the 75 members of the marigold family.Each delicate petal is about one-half-inch long. A hardy annual, the plant produces its sunny flowers during warm times of the year and comes in distinct colors, shapes and sizes.

In California, Mexico and other places where marigolds are grown, they are harvested in late October, just in time for the celebrations.

Jaime Moreno, a San Francisco Flower Mart salesman says, “This is the time of the marigold, what they call in Mexico Cempaxochil”.During the latter part of October the marigold flower is the biggest seller, says Moreno.

The marigold has been grown in the Americas for time immemorial; its earliest identification comes from the codices Florentine, one of the few Aztec books that was not destroyed with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

In the 12th century Macer wrote that merely looking at the marigold plant would improve the eyesight and lighten the mood. The Portuguese “discovered” marigolds in the Americas in the 16th century.

The pungent flower is still used today as medicine for stomach aches, digestive problems, intestinal parasite cleansing, spirit warding, an abortive cleanse for women, menstruation relief, frigidity, epileptic seizure control, respiratory relief and skin treatments. The stem has a liquid that supposedly treats warts, corns and calluses. When used for medicinal purposes, it is commonly referred to as “Calendula,” the Field Marigold.

Ledesma Flowers in Watsonville sells acres of marigolds throughout the United States during this time of year.In 2010 the government bought Marigolds from Ledezma.

“We sold a lot of marigolds for the birthday of the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, but only the flower heads with no stems,” said Flower Mart owner Arturo Ledezma. The Secretary of State’s birthday is Oct. 26.

In Mexico, the only other flower used more than the marigold is the rose for the 12th of December celebrations to commemorate the apparition of La Virgen de Guadalupe to Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac, in the Valley of Mexico. The rose competes with the marigold as the most symbolic flower used to celebrate a Mexican holiday.