English Vern.: Tarragon.

A. simplicifolia Pamp., Lav. Ist. Bot. Reale Univ. Cagliari 22: 174. 1934; A. dracunculus var. inodora Bess. in Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 8: 54. 1835; Oligosporus dracunculus (L.) Poljakov, l. c. 11: 166.

Perennial, strongly aromatic to inodorous, 20-100 (-150) cm tall herb, with erect or ascending, costate-striate, greenish-yellow, sparsely hairy to glabrous stems. Leaves short stalked to sessile, mostly undivided, occasionally lower 3-5-cleft, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely appressed canescent, linear-lanceolate to occasionally ± oblanceolate, 2-8 cm x (1-) 2-8 (-10) mm, entire, acute; upper ones mostly simple, much reduced in floral region. Capitula numerous, heterogamous, globose, 2-3 x 3-4 mm, remote to approximate, nodding on curved, 1-2 mm long, hairy or glabrous peduncles, in leafy, narrow panicle with ascending to erect, sometimes appressed, up to 10 cm long branches. Involucre 3-seriate, phyllaries glabrous, outermost oblong, c. 2.5 x 1 mm, obtuse, inner ones broadly elliptic, c. 3.5 x 2 mm, broadly whitish scarious, obtuse. Receptacle conico-hemispherical, glabrous. Florets up to 40, yellow; marginal-florets 6-15, fertile, with 0.5-1 mm long, glandulose, 2-fid corolla; disc-florets 10-20, bisexual, sterile, with campanulate, 2-2.5 mm long, 5-toothed corolla. Cypselas brown, ellipsoid, 0.6-1 mm long.

Fl. Per.: July-September.

Type: Described from Siberia, Tataria.

This species is collected for feeding to sheep in Ladakh and Tibet during winter. Cultivated in Europe for leaves which are used for seasoning salads and cooked dishes; Distribution: Europe eastwards to Siberia, China, Mongolia and North America (probably introduced and naturalized).