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Chamomile

©Eric Delcroix

Chamomile

Chamomile releases a beautiful, apple-like scent when crushed. For this reason, it was used in Elizabethan times as a plant for lawns and seats! Today, it is scarce in the wild, its grassland habitats under threat.

Scientific name

Chamaemelum nobile

When to see

June to August

Species information

Statistics

Height: up to 30cm
Classified as Vulnerable on the Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.

About

Chamomile is often first noticed when crushed under foot as it releases a distinctive, apple-like fragrance. The smell of Chamomile, coupled with its cushion-soft feel, made the plant so popular in Elizabethan times that herb gardens often contained Chamomile lawns and seats. Chamomile flowers from June to August and can be found along coastal cliffs, in grasslands and on commons. Here, livestock keep its natural scrambling form well-clipped, just like in the herb gardens of yesteryear.

How to identify

As a member of the daisy family, Chamomile is a composite flower so has a daisy-like, disc-shaped flower head that consists of lots of tiny flowers in the form of disc florets (the yellow 'centre') and ray florets (the white 'petals'). Its leaves are small, feathery and much-divided.

Distribution

Found in the south of the UK.

Did you know?

Chamomile has been used for many purposes: as a traditional medicine to treat colds; as an anti-inflammatory and calming agent; to make herbal teas and beers; and to help repel unwanted insects.