Scientific: Tagetes lucida
Common: Mexican tarragon, Spanish tarragon, Mexican mint marigold, winter tarragon
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Woods, hillsides and rocky slopes of Southern Mexico to Guatemala.
Pronounciation: Ta-GE-tes lu-CI-da
Hardiness zones
Sunset 8-10, 12-24
USDA 9 (might freeze) to 11
Landscape Use: Accent shrub, herb, sensory, or mixed flower gardens.
Form & Character: An easy to grow garden plant that is upright and open, formal and stiff, stinky (unless one loves licorice candies), tropical.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, short-lived perennial, moderately clumping to 4-feet tall with nearly equal spread.
Foliage/Texture: Glossy green foliage, lanceolate, smooth and entire margins, strongly aromatic; medium fine texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Small, terminal, yellow daisy flowers, fruits inconspicuous.
Seasonal Color: Yellow blooms during winter.
Temperature: Tolerant of desert heat, though one must avoid planting this aromatic shrub in western or reflected exposures. Frost sensitive, damaged by freezes below 28oF.
Light: Full sun
Soil: WELL DRAINED soil it MUST be - no prolonged damp soil conditions. Mexican tarragon generally has a high nutritional requirement, i.e., it's a heavy feeder so lightly fertilizing it every couple of months will be needed for best performance.
Watering: In Phoenix, water nearly daily during hottest times of summer tapering to every 5 to 7 days during winter.
Pruning: Light shearing or tipping to promote tight habit at any time, or prune the whole plant to the ground once a year in early spring.
Propagation: By seed - sow in March, needs warmth. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Also propagate by basal cuttings in spring or by division.
Disease and Pests: None
Additional comments: Mexican tarragon foliage has a heavy fragrance that is offensive to some. Tagetes lucida 'Anisata'(sweet marigold) is a low growing cultivar reaching only 12-inches tall with a spread of 18 inches.
Biomedical factoids: Mexican tarragon is a plant with MUCH medicinal value.