1770 



TARAXACUM 



Hooker would reduce them to 

 about 6, and others would retain 

 25 or more. Taraxacums are dis- 

 tinguished by having large many- 

 flowered ligulate yellow heads soli- 

 tary on naked and hollow scapes; 

 involucre with one inner series of 

 erect narrow bracts and outer 

 calyx -like spreading sometimes 

 reflexed bracts ; pappus simple 

 and capillary, borne on a slender 

 beak terminating a fusiform elon- 

 gated angled akene; flowers open- 

 ing in sunshine. 



The common Dandelion is Ta- 

 raxacum officinale, known also as 

 T. Dens-leonis. See Dandelion. 

 It varies immensely in stature and 

 form of leaves, as shown in Figs. 

 2465-68. For history, see Sturte- 

 vant, Proc. 6th Meeting Soc. Prom. 

 Agr. Sci., and Amer. Nat., Jan., 

 1886. For an account of the red 

 seeded Dandelion, T. eryth.ro- 

 spermum, see Fernald, Bot.Gaz. 

 July, 1895:328. From the com- 

 mon Dandelion it differs in hav- 

 ing smaller sulfur-yellow heads, 

 smaller and very deeply cut 

 leaves, outer involucral scales 

 not reflexed and somewhat glau- 

 cous ; akenes red or red brown 

 and shorter beaked ; pappus 

 dirty white. It is known to oc- 

 cur in New England, New York 

 and Pa. ; perhaps naturalized 

 from Europe. L jj. B. 



TAKE, TAKES. To the mod- 

 ern English farmer the word 

 "Tare" means the common 

 vetch, Vicia sativa, although 

 Tare is also applied loosely to 

 other species of Vicia and 

 Lathyrus, particularly Vicia 

 Tiirsuta. The celebrated pas- 

 sage in Matthew xiii, 25, "His 

 enemy came and sowed tares 

 among the wheat,' refers prob- 

 ably to the darnel, Lolium te- 

 mulentum. The original Greek 

 word in Matthew is Zizania, a 

 name which in botany refers to 

 the wild rice. Darnel belongs 

 to the grass family and its 

 seeds were long thought to 

 stupefy those who ate them un- 

 wittingly. Recent investiga- 

 tions have proved that darnel 

 seeds have no narcotic proper- 

 ties. 



TARRAGON (Artemisia 

 Dracuncnlus, which see) is 

 a close relative of worm- 

 wood (A. Absinthium). It 

 is a perennial composite 

 herb native of the Caspian 

 Sea region and Si- 

 beria, and is culti- 

 vated as a culinary 

 herb in western Eu- 

 rope. Its lanceolate, 

 entire leaves and 

 small, inconspicuous 

 and generally sterile 

 blossoms are borne 

 upon numerous 

 branching stems, 2-3 

 feet tall. Its green 

 parts, which possess 

 a delicate, aromatic 

 flavor resembling 

 anise, are widely 



2466. Large-leaved form of Dandelion. 



2467. Cut-leaved form of Dandelion. 



TASMANNIA 



used for seasoning salads and for 

 flavoring vinegar, p i c k les and 

 mustard. The essential oil of 

 Tarragon and Tarragon vinegar 

 are articles of commerce, the crop 

 being grown extensively in south- 

 ern France for this purpose. The 

 former is obtained by distillation 

 of the green parts, the latter by 

 simple infusion in vinegar. The 

 best time to gather the crop for 

 distillation or infusion is when 

 the first flowers begin to open, 

 since the plants have then a larger 

 percentage of oil than before or 

 after. From 300 to 500 pounds of 

 green parts, according to seasonal 

 and other conditions, are needed 

 to produce one pound of oil. 



As cultivated Tarragon rarely 

 produces viable seed, the plant is 

 propagated by cuttings of both 

 old and green wood and by di- 

 vision of the roots. Cuttings 

 may be taken at any convenient 

 time, but the best time for di- 

 vision is when the plants have 

 just commenced to grow in the 

 spring. Tenacious and wet soils 

 should be avoided and only 

 loams of medium texture and of 

 poor quality in sunny situations 

 chosen. The plants may be set, 

 either in the spring or in the 

 autumn, one foot apart and cul- 

 tivated like sage or mint. The 

 flower-stems should be removed 

 as soon as seen, as this will 

 force greater growth of leaves, 

 etc. The green parts may be 

 gathered at any time, after the 

 plants have become established, 

 and used fresh. Dried Tarra- 

 gon is nearly as useful as green, 

 but there is little market for it, 

 less even than for the leaves. At 

 the approach of winter, espe- 

 cially in cold and snowless cli- 

 mates, the stems should be cut 

 down and the plants covered 

 with litter or leaves. The po- 

 sition of the beds should be 

 changed every three or four 

 years. Tarragon is less culti- 

 vated in America than it de- 

 serves. Most of our Tarragon 

 vinegar comes from France. 



Tagetes lucida is much like 

 Tarragon in flavor and has been 

 used as a substitute for it. 



M. G KAINS. 

 TASMANNIA (after Abel 

 Jansen Tasman, Dutch cap- 

 tain who discovered Van 

 Dieman's Land or Tas- 

 mania). MagnoliUceoe. This 

 genus is included under 

 Drimys by Bentham 

 and Hooker. A small 

 genus of tender ever- 

 green aromatic, gla- 

 brous trees or shrubs 

 with simple, short- 

 petioled leaves with 

 transparent dots and 

 terminal clusters of 

 greenish yellow, rose 

 or white flowers. 

 Drimys aroma tica, 

 F. Muell. ( T. aro- 

 mdtica, R.Br. ), is a 

 shrub or small tree 

 cult, in a few north- 



