Tagetes is a
genus of about 60 species of
annual and
perennial herbaceous plants in the
daisy family (
Asteraceae). They are native to the area stretching from the southwestern United States into
Mexico and south throughout
South America.They are known almost universally in North America as Marigold (not to be confused with the genus
Calendula, which goes by the same name in some areas), or variously as Mexican marigolds (or
cempasúchil), African marigolds (usually referring to cultivars and hybrids of T. erecta, although this species is not native to Africa), or French marigolds (usually referring to hybrids and cultivars of T. patula, many of which were developed in France although the species is not native to that country). At least one species is a naturalized weed in Africa, Hawaii, and Australia.
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