ESTRAGON, SUBTILE PLANTE AROMATIQUE. TOUS LES BONS CONSEILS POUR LE RÉUSSIR (le Quotidien du Jardin)

NewsJardinTV, the channel that shares your passion for plants, gardens, botany, nature, and gardening, presents this new episode of its program "The Daily Garden," produced by Nicole and Patrick Mioulane. Carmina asks us the following question: I would like to know why the tarragon I sowed last spring had no taste. Are there several varieties, and if so, which is the best? Even though international botanical nomenclature recognizes only one species, namely Artemisia dracunculus, two types of tarragon are commercially available: French tarragon, which could be called Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa, is a semi-hardy (-8°C) perennial subshrub with a spreading habit, 50 to 80 cm tall, native to southern Europe and Central Asia. Its leaves, 2 to 5 cm long, linear, entire, and grayish-green, exude a powerful fragrance. As this plant is practically sterile, it is propagated exclusively vegetatively and always sold as seedlings. The tarragon, seeds of which are offered by some companies, is known as "Russian tarragon" and sometimes by the invalid botanical name Artemisia dracunculoides. This variety is hardier (-15°C) and more vigorous (up to 1.50 m) than French tarragon, but has a very poor flavor, which is why it is sometimes called Artemisia dracunculus var. inodora! Botanically speaking, tarragon is a type of wormwood, a genus in the Asteraceae family (formerly Compositae), which includes various well-known aromatic plants such as wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), white genepi (Artemisia umbelliformis), black genepi (Artemisia genipi), from which liqueurs are made, and southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum), which has a lemongrass scent. Etymologically, "dracunculus" means "little dragon." Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) reported a popular belief that, due to the serpentine appearance of the root, tarragon offered protection against snakes and other venomous creatures, but also... dragons! The famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), who named the plant in 1753, drew inspiration from this legend. The plant was likely introduced to France by the Crusaders at the end of the thirteenth century under the Arabic name "tcharchoun," meaning little dragon, which evolved into "tarcon," then into "estragon," but it was practically unused during the Middle Ages. From the seventeenth century onward, Artemisia dracunculus, like other wormwoods, was used for its aperitive, stomachic, diuretic, and antiscorbutic properties. All plants containing estragole (tarragon, basil, anise, and fennel) are potentially carcinogenic, with a genotoxic carcinogenic effect (inducing gene alterations). But as always, everything depends on the dose ingested (to cause liver damage, one would have to ingest 100 kg of tarragon or 200 grams of essential oils!). A plant of dry, sunny regions, tarragon thrives in heat and with good drainage. Plant around March or April in well-drained, permeable soil, or in a deep pot with good drainage. Artemisia dracunculus does not tolerate damp soil. Pick back stems regularly to encourage new growth. Fresh tarragon is best used as it loses its aroma when dried, but freezing is possible. Cut back the entire plant before winter and protect the base with straw. Thank you for watching this daily program. We hope you enjoyed this short video interlude. The entire NewsJardinTV team wishes you a wonderful day and looks forward to seeing you tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a new program: "THE GARDEN DAILY." It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else!