Marigold is a genus of about 50 species of annual or perennial, mostly herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to southwestern North America, tropical America, and South America. The most commonly cultivated varieties of Tagetes are known variously as African marigolds, French marigolds, and signet marigolds. Marigolds are easy to grow, economical, bloom reliably all summer, and infrequently have insect and disease problems. They have cheery, pom-pom, anemone, or daisy-shaped inflorescences in colors ranging from yellow and gold to orange, red, and mahogany. The two main species grown in home gardens are the French marigold (Tagetes patula) and the African marigold (Tagetes erecta). French marigolds are more compact in stature, with smaller flowers, while African marigolds are much larger, with blooms up to 4 inches across. Marigolds are used for mass planting, edging, borders, cut flowers, and container plantings. They are also recorded as a food plant for some Lepidoptera caterpillars including the dot moth, and a nectar source for other butterflies and bumblebees. Marigolds are often part of butterfly gardening plantings. In pre-Hispanic Mexico, the marigold was regarded as the flower of the dead, parallel to the lily in Europe, and is still widely used in the Day of the Dead celebrations. In Bangladesh, India, and other South Asian countries, marigold is used for ornamentation purposes in functions like turmeric ceremony, weddings, Pohela Falgun, and other functions.