Glandular Hairs, Secretory Cavities, and the Essential Oil in the Leaves of Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculusL.)

Abstract

French and Russian tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus L., leaves have glandular hairs distributed over the whole surface and secretory cavities arranged in files along the major veins in the mesophyll. Chemical composition analysis of leaves, leaf epidermis, and leaf mesophyll by hydrodistillation and solvent extraction indicate quantitative differences in composition between the epidermis and the mesophyll. The main components in the essential oils, methyl chavicol in French tarragon and elemicin and methyl eugenol in the Russian tarragon, were observed to accumulate primarily in the mesophyll.