Tarragon - Revision history

Raffi at 02:25, 27 January 2010

2010-01-27T02:25:28Z

Murali.lalitha at 10:55, 26 January 2010

2010-01-26T10:55:29Z

Murali.lalitha at 10:04, 6 August 2009

2009-08-06T10:04:15Z

Envoy at 10:54, 24 September 2007

2007-09-24T10:54:27Z

New page

''This article is about the [[herb]]; for the [[Freedom Call]] CD see [[Taragon]].''

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Tarragon
| image = Estragon2_1511.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Asterales]]
| familia = [[Asteraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]''
| species = '''''A. dracunculus'''''
| binomial = ''Artemisia dracunculus''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''Tarragon''' or '''dragon's-wort''' (''Artemisia dracunculus'' L.) is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]] in the family [[Asteraceae]] related to [[Artemisia (plant)|wormwood]]. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is "dragon herb." It is native to a wide area of the [[Northern Hemisphere]] from easternmost [[Europe]] across central and eastern [[Asia]] to western [[North America]], and south to northern [[India]] and [[Mexico]]. The North American populations may however be [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]] from early human introduction.

[[Image:Estragon_1511.jpg|thumb|left|Close-up of the foliage]]
Tarragon grows to 20-150 cm tall, with slender, branched stems. The [[leaf|leaves]] are lanceolate, 2-8 cm long and 2-10 mm broad, glossy green, with an entire margin. The [[flower]]s are produced in small [[inflorescence|capitulae]] 2-4 mm diameter, each capitulum containing up to 40 yellow or greenish-yellow florets.

===Cultivation and uses===
Tarragon has an aromatic property reminiscent of [[anise]], due to the presence of [[estragole]]. French tarragon is the variety generally considered best for the kitchen, but cannot be grown from seed. Russian tarragon ''(A. dracunculoides'' L.) can be grown from seed but is much weaker in flavour.

However, Russian tarragon is a far more hardy and vigorous plant, spreading at the roots and growing over a meter tall. This tarragon actually prefers poor [[soil]]s and happily tolerates drought and neglect. It is not as strongly aromatic and flavoursome as its French cousin, but it produces many more leaves from early spring onwards that are mild and good in salads and cooked food. The young stems in early spring can be cooked as a tasty [[asparagus]] substitute. Grow indoors from seed and plant out in the summer. Spreading plant can be divided easily.

Tarragon is one of the four ''[[fines herbes]]'' of French cooking, and particularly suitable for chicken, fish and egg dishes. Tarragon is one of the main components of [[Bearnaise sauce]].

Tarragon is used to flavor a popular carbonated soft drink in the country of [[Armenia (country)|Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and, by extension, [[Russia]]. The drink - named [[Tarhun|Tarkhun]] [tar-HOON](թարխուն)(Тархун), which is the Armenian and Russian word for tarragon - is made out of sugary tarragon concentrate and colored bright green.

"I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around." --[[James Beard]]1800

== References ==
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?4282 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Artemisia dracunculus'']
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARDR4 NRCS: USDA Plants Profile: ''Artemisia dracunculus'']
*[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200023201 Flora of Pakistan: ''Artemisia dracunculus'']

{{wiktionary|tarragon}}

{{Herbs & spices}}

[[Category:Artemisia]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
[[Category:Flora of Canada]]

{{asteraceae-stub}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{SPlantbox
-|common_name=Tarragon
+|familia=Asteraceae
 |Temp Metric=°F
-|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
+|image=Artemisia dracunculus1.jpg
-|image=Upload.png
+|image_width=180
-|image_width=240
+|image_caption=Artemisia dracunculus
 }}
 {{Inc|
 Artemisia dracunculus, Linn. Tarragon. Estragon. Herb; green and glabrous, with erect, branched sts. 2 ft. high: radical Lvs. 3-parted at the top; st.-lvs. linear or lanceolate, entire or small-toothed: panicle spreading, with whitish green, nearly globular fl.-heads. Eu. R.H. 1896, p. 285.—Tarragon Lvs. are used for seasoning, but the plant is little grown in this country. The Lvs. may be dried in the fall, or roots may be forced in a coolhouse in the winter. Prop, by division; rarely produces seed. See Tarragon.
@@ Line 16: / Line 30: @@
 A wholly different plant, Tagetes lucida, is much like tarragon in flavor and has been used as a substitute for it.
-}}
+}}Describe the plant here...
-''This article is about the        [[herb]]; for the [[Freedom Call]] CD see [[Taragon]].''
+==Cultivation==
+French tarragon is the variety generally considered best for the kitchen, but cannot be grown from seed {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}. It is normally purchased as a plant, and some care must be taken to ensure that true French tarragon is purchased {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}. A perennial, it normally goes dormant in winter.<ref name=&quot;TBC&quot;/> It likes a hot, sunny spot, without excessive watering.<ref name=&quot;TBC&quot;/>
-'''Tarragon''' or '''dragon's-wort''' (''Artemisia dracunculus'' L.) is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]] in the family [[Asteraceae]] related to [[Artemisia (plant)|wormwood]]. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is &quot;dragon herb.&quot; It is native to a wide area of the [[Northern Hemisphere]] from easternmost [[Europe]] across central and eastern [[Asia]] to western [[North America]], and south to northern [[India]] and [[Mexico]]. The North American populations may however be [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]] from early human introduction.
+Russian tarragon ''(A. dracunculoides'' L.) can be grown from seed but is much weaker in flavour when compared to the French variety.<ref name=&quot;TBC&quot;>{{cite book | last =McGee | first =Rose Marie Nichols  | authorlink = | coauthors = Stuckey, Maggie | title =The Bountiful Container | publisher = Workman Publishing | date = 2002}}</ref> However, Russian tarragon is a far more hardy and vigorous plant, spreading at the roots and growing over a meter tall. This tarragon actually prefers poor [[soil]]s and happily tolerates drought and neglect. It is not as strongly aromatic and flavoursome as its French cousin, but it produces many more leaves from early spring onwards that are mild and good in salads and cooked food. The young stems in early spring can be cooked as an [[asparagus]] substitute. Grow indoors from seed and plant out in the summer. Spreading plant can be divided easily.
-[[Image:Estragon_1511.jpg|thumb|left|Close-up of the foliage]]
+===Propagation===
-However, Russian tarragon is a far more hardy and vigorous plant, spreading at the roots and growing over a meter tall. This tarragon actually prefers poor [[soil]]s and happily tolerates drought and neglect. It is not as strongly aromatic and flavoursome as its French cousin, but it produces many more leaves from early spring onwards that are mild and good in salads and cooked food. The young stems in early spring can be cooked as a tasty [[asparagus]] substitute. Grow indoors from seed and plant out in the summer. Spreading plant can be divided easily.
+===Pests and diseases===
-Tarragon is used to flavor a popular carbonated soft drink in the country of [[Armenia (country)|Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and, by extension, [[Russia]]. The drink - named [[Tarhun|Tarkhun]] [tar-HOON](թարխուն)(Тархун), which is the Armenian and Russian word for tarragon - is made out of sugary tarragon concentrate and colored bright green.
+==Varieties==
-== References ==
+==Gallery==
-{{wiktionary|tarragon}}
+<gallery perrow=5>
-{{Herbs & spices}}
+==References==
-[[Category:Artemisia]]
+==External links==
-[[Category:Herbs]]
+*{{wplink}}
-{{asteraceae-stub}}
+{{stub}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Inc|
 Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus, which see) is a close relative of wormwood (A. Absinthium). It is a perennial composite herb native of the Caspian Sea region and Siberia, and is cultivated as a culinary herb in western Europe. Its lanceolate entire leaves and small inconspicuous and generally sterile blossoms are borne upon numerous branching stems, 2 to 3 feet tall. Its green parts, which possess a delicate aromatic flavor resembling anise, are widely used for seasoning salads and for flavoring vinegar, pickles, and mustard. The essential oil of tarragon and tarragon vinegar are articles of commerce, the crop being grown extensively in southern France for this purpose. The former is obtained by distillation of the green parts, the latter by simple infusion in vinegar. The best time to gather the crop for distillation or infusion is when the first flowers begin to open, since the plants have then a larger percentage of oil than before or after. From 300 to 500 pounds of green parts, according to seasonal and other conditions, are needed to produce one pound of oil.
@@ Line 25: / Line 36: @@
 }}
-'''Tarragon''' or '''dragon's-wort''' (''Artemisia dracunculus'' L.) is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]] in the family [[Asteraceae]] related to [[Artemisia (plant)|wormwood]]. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is "dragon herb." It is native to a wide area of the [[Northern Hemisphere]] from easternmost [[Europe]] across central and eastern [[Asia]] to western [[North America]], and south to northern [[India]] and [[Mexico]]. The North American populations may however be [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]] from early human introduction.
+'''Tarragon''' or '''dragon's-wort''' (''Artemisia dracunculus'' L.) is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]] in the family [[Asteraceae]] related to [[Artemisia (plant)|wormwood]]. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is &quot;dragon herb.&quot; It is native to a wide area of the [[Northern Hemisphere]] from easternmost [[Europe]] across central and eastern [[Asia]] to western [[North America]], and south to northern [[India]] and [[Mexico]]. The North American populations may however be [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]] from early human introduction.
 [[Image:Estragon_1511.jpg|thumb|left|Close-up of the foliage]]
@@ Line 39: / Line 50: @@
 Tarragon is used to flavor a popular carbonated soft drink in the country of [[Armenia (country)|Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and, by extension, [[Russia]]. The drink - named [[Tarhun|Tarkhun]] [tar-HOON](թարխուն)(Тархун), which is the Armenian and Russian word for tarragon - is made out of sugary tarragon concentrate and colored bright green.
-"I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around." --[[James Beard]]1800
+&quot;I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.&quot; --[[James Beard]]1800
 == References ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:04, 6 August 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	{{Inc\|
		+	Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus, which see) is a close relative of wormwood (A. Absinthium). It is a perennial composite herb native of the Caspian Sea region and Siberia, and is cultivated as a culinary herb in western Europe. Its lanceolate entire leaves and small inconspicuous and generally sterile blossoms are borne upon numerous branching stems, 2 to 3 feet tall. Its green parts, which possess a delicate aromatic flavor resembling anise, are widely used for seasoning salads and for flavoring vinegar, pickles, and mustard. The essential oil of tarragon and tarragon vinegar are articles of commerce, the crop being grown extensively in southern France for this purpose. The former is obtained by distillation of the green parts, the latter by simple infusion in vinegar. The best time to gather the crop for distillation or infusion is when the first flowers begin to open, since the plants have then a larger percentage of oil than before or after. From 300 to 500 pounds of green parts, according to seasonal and other conditions, are needed to produce one pound of oil.
		+
		+	As cultivated tarragon rarely produces viable seed, the plant is propagated by cuttings of both old and green wood and by division of the roots. Cuttings may be taken at any convenient time, but the best time for the division is when the plants have just begun to grow in the spring. Tenacious and wet soils should be avoided and only loams of medium texture and of poor quality in sunny situations chosen. The plants may be set, either in the spring or in the autumn, 1 foot apart and cultivated like sage or mint. The flower-stems should be removed as soon as seen, as this will force greater growth of leaves. The green parts may be gathered at any time, after the plants have become established, and used fresh. Dried tarragon is nearly as useful as green, but there is little market for it, less even than for the leaves. At the approach of winter, especially in cold and snowless climates, the stems should be cut down and the plants covered with litter or leaves. The position of the beds should be changed every three or four years. Tarragon is less cultivated in America than it deserves. Most of our tarragon vinegar comes from France.
		+
		+	A wholly different plant, Tagetes lucida, is much like tarragon in flavor and has been used as a substitute for it.
		+	}}
		+
	''This article is about the [[herb]]; for the [[Freedom Call]] CD see [[Taragon]].''		''This article is about the [[herb]]; for the [[Freedom Call]] CD see [[Taragon]].''