Mexican Tarragon

Tagetes lucida

herb

Mexican tarragon, also called Mexican mint marigold or Texas tarragon, is a heat-loving perennial marigold grown as a culinary herb. Its narrow green leaves have a sweet anise-tarragon flavor that stands in for French tarragon in hot climates where true tarragon struggles, and in late summer it crowns itself with small golden flowers. It is perennial in zones 8 to 11 and grown as an annual elsewhere.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Tomato — As a marigold relative it helps suppress root-knot nematodes and repel some pests
• Pepper — Shares heat and full sun while its scent deters aphids and whiteflies
• Cabbage — Aromatic foliage helps mask brassicas from egg-laying pests

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Spider mites →

  Most likely in hot, dry, dusty spells; rinse the foliage and keep plants watered

• Aphids →

  Rarely troubled thanks to its pungent oils; hose off any clusters and support ladybugs

🌾 Harvest & storage

Snip leaves and tender stems throughout the season, taking no more than half the plant at once so it keeps producing. Flavor is strongest just as the yellow flowers open in late summer and fall. Use it fresh, since drying and high heat drive off its delicate anise flavor; add it to hot dishes at the end of cooking.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Anise-flavored leaves are the traditional Latin American substitute for French tarragon and are brewed into a soothing herbal tea. As a Tagetes, its golden late-season flowers are an excellent nectar source for bees and butterflies, and the roots help suppress soil nematodes.