PlantFiles: Mexican Mint Marigold, Spanish Tarragon, Texas Tarragon, Sweet Mace, Yerbis Anis
Tagetes lucida

The leaves are a nice addition to herb tea if you like the taste of licorice. The flowers are nice in a salad.

I have been growing this lovely plant in the coastal sub-tropics of Australia with neglect and it has flourished. It is protected from most of the salt laden wind we receive, and since we have been in a drought for a few years, it has survived with mininal watering.

It's late November and this beauty is in full luxurious bloom here at 2,700 feet near Nevada City, California. It's grown to five feet tall by six feet wide in its first year as a transplant, with well over a hundred flowers and many more buds. It previously survived at least one winter at the same elevation in a friend's garden.

It's especially beautiful next to a red Pineapple Sage.

And, the numerous deer that wander by have left it entirely alone!

Love this little Tagetes. I 've sowed it for the season 2004. I haven't seen it return yet so I 've sown it again. The scent is wonderfull like all Tagetes...but this one is much different. For spicing my dinners I prefer the French tarragon that I also have in my garden.

This exuberant plant is growing very well in Oakland, CA. It is in a mature bed with other perennials; lavender, oregano, and salvia guarantica. It is very dense and at mid-August is just beginning to flower. So far, it has been pest free and the foliage is lovely, deep green with just a hint of shine to it.

I live in Huntsville, Alabama and this is the first year that I have grown the Texas Tarragon. We recently moved into this house and I don't have a big planting area yet so I planted it in a spot near my sunroom that doesn't get lots of sun and is protected by a fence. Even after several days of below zero weather the plant is filled with bright flowers and it looks very healthly. I will continue to monitor its progress.

Nov 2003

Performing best in full sun and well drained soil, Mexican Mint Marigold is easy to grow. Mine have become "leggy" and do not have a profusion of blooms when not provided a full sun for most of the day setting. Though some state that it is fairly drought-tolerant, I find that I need to water it more often than my other native Texas xeriscape plants. However, this may be because I have it growing in large containers (I usually test out a new plant that I have never grown before in different locations to determine its "favorite spot" before in-ground planting).

The plant dies back during cold weather, but returns with the spring. Grow it as an annual in Northern climates. Propagation methods include seeding, root dividing or rooting of cuttings. Tarragon cannot withstand our Central/South Texas long, hot summers, so "Texas Tarragon" is a substitution. Most hispanics call it anise because it is not an identical substitution, being much milder in flavor than Tarragon. Place it in teas and punches along with lemon flavored herbs or lemon juice to make a refreshing drink. Blooming in the fall when most other perennials are starting to decline, its golden marigold-like blossoms on the 30-48 inch tall clumps are a welcome and beautiful sight. The image by herbin on this page shows its beautiful foliage which provides textural interest and nice green color in the garden while one waits for the plant to burst forth with its bright, cheerful blooms.

Good for teas, salads, and eating fresh from the garden!

This tender perennial is used like tarragon in the south where tarragon does not grow well. Small yellow flowers in the fall. Has over-wintered in a mild zone 6 winter, but seldom gets to bloom before it is frosted.