Editing Tarragon (section)

==Cultivation==
[[File:Dried Taragon.JPG|left|thumb|upright=0.68|Dried tarragon leaves]]

French tarragon is the variety used for cooking in the kitchen<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.finegardening.com/article/french-tarragon|title=French Tarragon|last=Yeoman|first=Andrew|date=25 April 2014|website=FineGardening|language=en-US|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> and is not grown from seed, as the flowers are sterile; instead, it is propagated by root division.

Russian tarragon (''A. dracunculoides'' L.) can be grown from seed but is much weaker in flavor when compared to the French variety.<ref name="TBC">{{cite book |author1=McGee, R. M. |author2=Stuckey, M. | title = The Bountiful Container | publisher = Workman Publishing | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7611-1623-3 }}</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 intensely aromatic and flavorsome as its French cousin, but it produces many more leaves from early spring onwards that are mild and good in salads and cooked food. Russian tarragon loses what flavor it has as it ages and is widely considered useless as a culinary herb, though it is sometimes used in crafts. The young stems in early spring can be cooked as an [[asparagus]] substitute. [[Horticulturist]]s recommend that Russian tarragon be grown indoors from seed and planted in summer. The spreading plants can be divided easily.

A better substitute for Russian tarragon is Mexican tarragon (''[[Tagetes lucida]]''), also known as Mexican mint marigold, Texas tarragon, or winter tarragon.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bePKBQAAQBAJ&q=spanish+tarragon&pg=PA178|title=Handbook of Spices, Seasonings, and Flavorings|last=Raghavan|first=Susheela|publisher=CRC Press|year=2006|isbn=9781420004366|pages=178|language=en}}</ref> It is much more reminiscent of French tarragon, with a hint of anise. Although not in the same genus as the other tarragons, Mexican tarragon has a more robust flavor than Russian tarragon that does not diminish significantly with age. It can not however be grown as a perennial in cold climates.
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