All plants /Ground /Mexican Mint Marigold
Mexican Mint Marigold
Tagetes lucida, aster family. Uncommon in Central and West Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Anise-scented leaves; yellow flowers
- How
- Fresh or dried as a tarragon substitute and tea
- When
- Fall bloom
- Where
- Gardens and naturalized in Central/South Texas
- Value
- Aromatic; sweet anise flavor
Caution: A well-known culinary herb; confirm the sweet anise scent. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
Narrow glossy leaves that smell strongly of anise, topped by small golden marigold flowers in fall.
Uses
Texas cooks use it as 'Texas tarragon,' and its leaves make a sweet, licorice-like tea.
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.