marigold

Any of several plants belonging to the daisy family, including pot marigold (C. officinalis) and the tropical American T. patula, commonly known as French marigold. (Genera Calendula and Tagetes, family Compositae.)

Investigations by chemists 1993 revealed that marigolds give off volatile insecticides. Several compounds found in marigold tissues are insecticidal, including the volatile thiophenes. These have proved toxic to disease-carrying mosquitoes, and would be safer than available synthetic insecticides.