What is the scientific name of the marigold used for Day of the Dead?

The scientific name of the marigold commonly used for Day of the Dead is Tagetes erecta.

Tagetes erecta is commonly called the Aztec marigold, Mexican marigold, big marigold, or cempasúchil. It is native to Mexico and Central America and produces large, strongly scented flowers in yellow, orange, and reddish shades.

In Mexico, cempasúchil is used to decorate ofrendas, graves, churches, and homes during Día de Muertos. Its bright petals are often arranged in paths leading to an altar, traditionally understood as helping guide the returning dead. The Nahuatl name is related to cempōhualxōchitl, commonly translated as “twenty flowers.”

A frequent mix-up is Calendula officinalis, which is also called marigold or “Mary’s gold” in English but is a different European plant. Tagetes patula, the French marigold, is another related species and may appear in gardens, but Tagetes erecta is the canonical answer for the Mexican Day of the Dead flower. The species name erecta refers to its upright growth habit.