Nomenclature
The name Tagetes is from the name of the Etruscan Tages.
The common name in English, "marigold", is derived from "Mary's Gold", a name once exclusively applied to Calendula. In Nepal it is called 'शयपत्री' that means hundred leafed flower, referring to its many florets per head.
The cultivated varieties are known variously as marigolds or variously as Mexican marigolds (or cempasúchil), African marigolds (usually referring to cultivars and hybrids of Tagetes erecta, although this species is not native to Africa), or French marigolds (usually referring to hybrids and cultivars of Tagetes patula, many of which were developed in France although the species is not native to that country).
Tagetes minuta is the source of commercial "Tagetes Oil" used in industry. It is now a naturalized species in Africa, Hawaii, and Australia, and is considered an invasive species - weed in some regions.
Tagetes is not to be confused with the genus Calendula, which goes by "marigold" in some areas. See "marigold (disambiguation)" for this and other species commonly called marigold.
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