Daisy: Chamomiles and Mayweeds Family:-

"A group of not very tall, branched plants with daisy-like flowers, usually with white rays, and pinnately divided leaves with very narrow, more or less cylindrical segments; often aromatic or strongly scented. The Chamomiles differ from the Mayweeds in having chaffy scales among the disk-florets." from Collins Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers by David McClintock and R.S.R. Fitter assisted by Francis Rose - ISBN 0 00 219363 9 - Eleventh Impression 1978

Daisy: Chamomiles and Mayweeds Family plant table with its Common Name - Botanical Name. Flowering Months Range. Habitat with link to that Wild Flower Habitat Gallery:-

Common Name

Botanical Name

Flowering Months

Habitat

Breckland Mugwort (Field Southernwood, Field Sagewort, Beach Wormwood, Field Sagebrush, Field Wormwood, Prairie Sagewort, Tall Wormwood)

Artemisia campestris

(Artemesia caudata, Artemesia forwoodii, Oligosporus campestris)

August-September

A perennial herb found in the Breckland in short open grassland, grass-heath, on forest rides and tracks, in abandoned arable fields, and on roadsides. It does not persist in tall, closed turf but sometimes reappears following disturbance. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Buttonweed (Brass buttons, Golden Buttons)

Cotula coronopifolia

July onwards

An annual to perennial herb, widely grown in gardens and also found as a wool alien. It has become naturalised in wet and marshy places, in greatest abundance on open tidal saline mud, but also in inland sites, often in areas of mining subsidence that are flooded in winter. Lowland.

A little boy went up to his father and asked: 'Dad, where did my Intelligence come from?'

The father replied. 'Well, son, you must have got it from your mother, Cause I still have mine.'

Flower

Flowers from Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Foliage

Form

Chinese Mugwort

Artemisia verlotiorum

August-September

A tall rhizomatous perennial herb, naturalised and locally abundant on waysides, and in waste places and rough ground. As it flowers in October and November, it rarely sets seed, and its spread is often by detached pieces of rhizome. Lowland. Parts of this plant are considered toxic.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Common Chamomile

Chamaemelum nobile

June-August

A perennial herb found in moderately acidic, seasonally wet grassland, especially on sandy commons and pastures where mowing, trampling or grazing discourages competitors; also in coastal grassland and on cliffs, where exposure and trampling maintain a short sward. 0-465 m (near Priestleap, S. Kerry).

Flower Picture from H. Zell is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Flowers

Foliage Picture from H. Zell is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Form Picture from H. Zell is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Corn Chamomile (Scentless Chamomile, Mayweed)

Anthemis arvensis

May-July

An aromatic annual of light calcareous or sandy soils, growing in arable fields, especially cereals; also in leys, field-borders and waste places, and on roadsides and disturbed ground near the sea. It is occasionally introduced as a contaminant of grass-seed or in wild-flower seed mixtures. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Preserving Flowers by Air Drying with Botanical Name, English Common Name and Parts to Dry columns.

Corn Marigold (Corn Daisy)

Chrysanthemum segetum

(Glebionis segetum)

June onwards

A mainly spring-germinating annual of light, sandy or loamy soils deficient in calcium, found in arable fields and other disturbed habitats, on roadsides, waste ground and rubbish tips. 0-410 m (Eisteddfa Gurig, Cards.). If a farmer in Scotland in the 13th century allowed a plant to set seed, then by Royal Decree he was fined a sheep, so be careful not to sow near cornfields, since it rots the corn.

Flower from St Justinians on 16 July

Flowers from St Justinians

Foliage from St Justinians on 16 July

Form from St Justinians on 16 July

Cottonweed

Otanthus maritimus (Filago maritima, Athanasia maritima, Diotis candidissima, Diotis maritima)

August onwards

A perennial herb of sand dunes and stabilised shingle. Lowland. "The community of Otanthus maritimus grows on seaward sides of sand dunes. Otanthus maritimus is positively influenced by sheep grazing, as this species is avoided" from page 415 of Strandline and sand-dune vegetation of coasts of Greece and of some other Aegean countries

A well known dairy recently collated a list of unusual notes left by customers for their roundsman.

"Dear Milkman, I've just had a baby, please leave another one."

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Feverfew

Chrysanthemum parthenium

(Tanacetum parthenium)

July onwards

An aromatic perennial herb commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is widely naturalised in gardens, on walls, waysides, tips and waste ground. It seeds freely, but has a poorly formed pappus, and disperses for only short distances; it is therefore most frequent near habitation. 0-380 m (above Alston, Cumberland).

Flower on 26 July

Flowers from Rochester on 18 July

Foliage

Form from Rochester in Kent on 18 July

Mugwort (St John's Plant)

Artemisia vulgaris

August-September

A tall aromatic perennial herb of waste places, tips, rough ground, roadside verges and waysides, usually on relatively fertile soils. The seeds, lacking a pappus, are often distributed by human activities, especially in urban areas and along road and rail systems. Generally lowland, but reaching 350 m north of Shap summit (Westmorland), and with an unlocalised record of 420 m in Aberdeenshire.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage from Isle of Grain

Form from Isle of Grain in Kent

Ox-Eye Daisy

Chrysanthemum leucanthemum

(Leucanthemum adustum, Leucanthemum vulgare)

May onwards

A perennial herb found in many grassy habitats, especially meadows and pastures which are cut or moderately grazed, preferring well-drained, neutral to base-rich soils; also on coastal cliffs, stabilised dunes, waste ground, by railways and newly sown roadsides. It can quickly colonise open ground. 0-845 m (Great Dun Fell, Westmorland).

Flower from Isle of Wight. Photo by BritishFlora

Flowers from Isle of Wight. Photo by BritishFlora

Flowers from Isle of Wight. Photo by BritishFlora

Form from Isle of Wight. Photo by BritishFlora

Foliage

Form from Applecross in Ross on 2 July

Foliage from Kynance Cove in Cornwall on 19 May

Form from Kynance Cove on 19 May

Pineapple Weed (Disc mayweed)

Matricaria matricarioides (Matricaria discoidea)

June onwards

This annual of disturbed, usually fertile ground is found on roadsides, waste ground, tracks and in field gateways, and in arable crops. Generally lowland, but reaching 845 m on Great Dun Fell (Westmorland). It is common in waste, especially trodden, places.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form from North Yorkshire

Sea Wormwood

Artemisia maritima

(Artemesia chamae-melifolia, Seriphidium maritimum)

July-September

An aromatic perennial herb occurring in the upper, drier parts of saltmarshes; also found on shingle, sea-cliffs, waste ground and walls close to the sea, by brackish dykes of drained estuarine marshes and on the banks of tidal rivers. Lowland.

Flower from Shellness in Kent on 23 September

Flowers from Shellness on 23 September

Foliage from Isle of Grain

Form from Isle of Grain in Kent

Scented Mayweed (German Tea Chamomile)

Matricaria recutita

Matricaria chamomilla

June onwards

An aromatic annual of arable land, especially in cereal crops, and waste places. It usually occurs on light soils, but is sometimes found on loams and heavy clays. 0-365 m (Kirkstone, Westmorland).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Scentless Mayweed

(Sea Mayweed) (False Mayweed)

Tripleurospermum maritimum

June onwards

A perennial, sometimes biennial, herb occurring in a wide range of coastal habitats, including open sand, shingle, cliffs, walls and waste ground; also rarely inland on road verges. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form from Shellness in Isle of Sheppey on 23 September

Scottish Wormwood (Norwegian Mugwort)

Artemisia norvegica

June-September

A small rhizomatous perennial of mountain tops, usually occurring in exposed situations on or near the summit ridge. Habitats include bare stony ground, Racomitrium heath, bouldery crests of solifluction terraces, and sometimes hollows between rocks. The relative importance of sexual and vegetative reproduction in British populations is uncertain. 700-870 m (Seana Bhraigh, E. Ross). Parts of this plant are considered toxic.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Sneezewort (Sneezeweed, Bastard Pellitory, European Pellitory, Fair-maid-of-France, Goose Tongue, Sneezewort Yarrow, Wild Pellitory, White Tansy)

Achillea ptarmica

Ptarmica vulgaris

July-August

A perennial herb of damp or wet habitats on a wide range of soils, including fen- and water-meadows, rush-pasture, marshes, streamsides, wet heath, springs and flushes on hill slopes and occasionally in wet woodland. It is also established from cultivation in churchyards, and on roadsides and waste ground. 0-770 m (Cross Fell, Cumberland). Plant is poisonous to cattle, sheep and horses.

Flower from New Forest

Flowers near Renton, West Dunbartonshire. NS3776 Copyright Lairich Rig. This work licensed under the Creative Commons Atribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence.

Foliage from New Forest

Form from Northants. Photo by BritishFlora

Stinking Chamomile (May-weed Chamomile)

Anthemis cotula

June onwards

A foetid annual of cereals and other arable crops. In some areas it favours heavy soils, including clay, clay-loam and marl, being replaced by A. arvensis on lighter soils, but it can grow on light soils, including those over chalk. Lowland. The whole plant is penetrated by an acrid juice, touching or ingesting the plant can cause allergies in some people

Flower

Flowers from Rusty Russell @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Foliage

Form from R.A. Howard @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Nettle Soup - Warming the cockles of your mind.

Tansy

Chrysanthemum vulgare

(Tanacetum vulgare)

July onwards

An aromatic, rhizomatous perennial herb found in grassy places by rivers, roads and railways, and on waste ground. 0-380 m (Glenlivet, Banffs.) Used in Australia to keep away ants.

Flower

Flowers from Sharp's Green

Foliage from Sharp's Green in Kent

Form from Borough Green on 28 September

Wormwood (Absinthe Wormwood)

Artemisia absinthium

July-August

An aromatic perennial herb of waste and rough ground, waysides, railway sidings, rubbish tips, gravel-pits, quarries and other anthropogenic habitats. 0-370 m (Teesdale, Co. Durham).

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Flower from Lydd in Kent on 24 September

Flowers from Lydd on 24 September

Foliage

Form from Lydd on 24 September

Yarrow (common yarrow, gordaldo, nosebleed plant, old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, thousand-leaf, thousand-seal)

Achillea millefolium

June onwards

A perennial herb found in all kinds of grassland habitats, ranging from lawns to montane communities irrigated by melting snow-beds; also found on coastal sand dunes and stabilised shingle, waysides and waste ground. It tolerates drought, and grows in most soils except the most nutrient-poor, permanently waterlogged or strongly acidic. 0-1210 m (Ben Lawers, Mid Perth).

Flower from Northants. Photo by BritishFlora

Flowers from Northants. Photo by BritishFlora

Foliage from Northants. Photo by BritishFlora

Form from Northants. Photo by BritishFlora

Yellow Chamomile (Golden Marguerite, Marguerite Daisy, Dyer's Chamomile, Ox-eye Chamomile, Boston Daisies, Paris Daisies)

Anthemis tinctoria

(Cota tinctoria)

July-August

A biennial or perennial herb of waste, rough and marginal land, usually on dry soils. Populations are usually small. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Selected References from KingdomPlantae.net

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Niering and Olmstead

Peterson Field Guides Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, Steven Foster and James A. Duke

Peterson Field Guides Edible Wild Plants, Lee Allen Peterson

Stalking the Healthful Herbs, Euell Gibbons

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants, Steve Brill

The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America, Francois Couplan, Ph.D.

Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants, Tom Brown, Jr.

A Modern Herbal, Volume II, Mrs. M. Grieve

Weeds, Alexander C Martin

Code of Conduct

for the conservation and enjoyment

of wild plants

Most people reading this code will support the voluntary plant conservation organisations in their efforts to halt the decline in the native flora of Britain and Ireland and to ensure that all our wild flowering plants, ferns, mosses, liverworts, lichens, algae and fungi remain for future generations to enjoy. Wild plants are a key to the enjoyment of the countryside, primarily for their appeal in their natural surroundings but also because of the pleasure they give photographers, naturalists, flower arrangers and cooks. Generally, uprooting is harmful, but picking with care and in moderation usually does little damage and can foster the appreciation of wild plants, which in turn benefits their conservation. However, in some cases picking can be harmful and it may even be illegal. This leaflet has been written for botanists, teachers and people who wish simply to enjoy wild plants. It aims to indicate where collecting and picking are acceptable and which wild plants should not be taken.