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Tarragon

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Plants

                   iTarragon
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Magnoliopsida
   Order:    Asterales
   Family:   Asteraceae
   Genus:    Artemisia
   Species:  A. dracunculus

                                Binomial name

   Artemisia dracunculus
   L.

   Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) is a perennial herb in the family
   Asteraceae related to wormwood. 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 naturalised from early
   human introduction.
   Close-up of the foliage
   Enlarge
   Close-up of the foliage

   Tarragon grows to 20-150 cm tall, with slender, branched stems. The
   leaves are lanceolate, 2-8 cm long and 2-10 mm broad, glossy green,
   with an entire margin. The flowers are produced in small capitulae 2-4
   mm diameter, each capitulum containing up to 40 yellow or
   greenish-yellow florets.

Cultivation and uses

   Tarragon has a spicy flavour reminiscent of anise. French tarragon is
   the variety generally considered best for the kitchen, but cannot be
   grown from seed. Russian tarragon 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 soils 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 fish and chicken dishes.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarragon"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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