1770 



TAJRAXACUM 



Hooker would rpdure thnii to 

 aV)Out 6, and others wuuld ivtain 

 25 or more. Taraxaciiiiiy are <lis- 

 tiiiguished by haviiii^ larye many- 

 flowered ligulate yellnw beads soli- 

 tary on naked and boUow scapes; 

 inv<.)luere with one inner series of 

 erect narrow bruc-ls and outer 

 calyx - like spreading sometimes 

 retiexed bracts ; ]>appiis simple 

 and capillary, borne «.tn a slender 

 beak terminating a fusiform elon- 

 gated angled akene; flowers o]ten- 

 ing in sunshine. 



The common Dandelion is Ta- 

 raxacum oHicinale, known also as 

 T. I>ni^-h'<nr,x, See Va inh'/ioii , 

 It varies immensely in stature and 

 form of leaves, as shown in Figs. 

 2-tf)."i-68. For history, see Srurte- 

 vant, Proc. (jth Meeting Soc. Proni. 

 Agr. Sci., and Amer. Nat., dan., 

 188G. For an account of the red 

 seeded Dandelion. T. erythro- 

 sp^rmum, see Fern aid, Bot.Gaz. 

 July, I81ir)::i2:i. From the coni- 

 nntn Dandelion itdiffers in hav- 

 ing smaller sulfxir-yellow heads, 

 snuiller and very deeply cut 

 leaves, outer involucral scales 

 not reflexed and scjmewhat gla^i- 

 0"us ; akenes red or retl-browu 

 and shorter beaked ; papi)us 

 dirty white. It is known to ot-- 

 cur in New England. New York 

 and Pa.: perhaps naturalized 

 from Europe. j^ jj_ q 



TARE. TARES. T.. the mod- 

 ern English farmer the word 

 "Tare " means the c om ni o n 

 vetch, r/c/rt sah'rii, althi>ui:li 

 Tare is also applied loosely t" 

 other species of Vicia and 

 Lathyrus, particuiju'ly Viria 

 hirsnta. The celebrated pas- 

 sage in Matthew xiii, 25, "His 

 enemy came and sowed tares 

 among the wlieat,' refers proli- 

 ably to the darnel, LoJitim /<-- 

 wif!i')}t>iin . Tlie 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- 

 wittini^ly. Recent investiga- 

 tinns liavp proved that darnel 

 sei^ls have no narcotic profier- 

 ties. 



TARRAGON (Arfemlsirr 

 Dnfcinicnhis, which see 

 a close relative of worm- 

 wood {^i. 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 En- 

 ro])e. Its lanceolate, 

 entire leaves ami 

 snuill, inconspicuous 

 )ind generally sterile 

 blossom.s are borne 

 upon numerous 

 branching stems, 2-1-! 

 feet tall. Its green 

 parts, which possess 

 a delicate, aromatic 

 llavor r e s em 1) 1 i n g 

 anise, are w i d e I v 



TASMANNIA 



used for seasoning salads and for 

 tiavoring vinegar, pickles 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 l>urpo.se. The 

 former is obtained by distillation 

 of the green parts, the latter by 

 simple infusion in vinegar. The 

 best time tu gather the crop for 

 distillation or infusion is when 

 the tirst Howers begin to open, 

 since the plants have then a larger 

 percentage of oil than liefore or 

 after. From 300 to oUO pounds of 

 green parts, according to seasonal 

 and other conditions, are needed 

 to produce one pound of oil. 



As cultivated Tarragon 

 produces viable 



Laree-leaved form of Dandelion, 



Cut leaved form of Dandelion 



rnrelv 

 ■eed, the plant is 

 propagated by cuttings of iM.tli 

 oil! and green wood and hy di- 

 vision of the roots. Cuttings 

 may he taken at any convenient 

 time, hut 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 te.xture 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 

 tlower-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 cornes from France. 



Ta(/efcs hirirhf is much like 

 Tarragon in Havoi- and has been 

 used as a substitute for it. 



M. G Kains. 

 TASMANNIA (after Abel 

 Jansen Tasmaii, Dutch cap- 

 tain who discovered Van 

 Dieman's Land or Tas- 

 • mania). Magnolidceir. 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 chisters of 

 greenish yellow, rose 

 or w bite flowers. 

 Drimys arom4tica, 

 F. Muell. (T. ")■"- 

 nidficn, R.Br.), is a 

 shrub or small tree 

 cult, in a few north- 



