Matricaria discoidea

Matricaria discoidea
Pineappleweed
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Anthemideae
Genus: Matricaria
Species: M. discoidea
Binomial name
Matricaria discoidea
DC.
Synonyms

Artemisia matricarioides auct.
Chamomilla suaveolens (Pursh) Rydb.
Lepidanthus suaveolens (Pursh) Nutt.
Lepidotheca suaveolens (Pursh) Nutt.
Matricaria matricarioides auct.
Matricaria suaveolens (Pursh) Buchenau
Santolina suaveolens Pursh
Tanacetum suaveolens (Pursh) Hook.
Source: NRCS,[1] GRIN[2]

Matricaria discoidea, commonly known as pineappleweed,[3] wild chamomile, and disc mayweed is an annual plant native to North America and Northeast Asia but which has become a cosmopolitan weed. It is in the family Asteraceae. The flowers exude a chamomile/pineapple aroma when crushed. They are edible and have been used in salads (although they may become bitter by the time the plant blooms) and to make herbal tea. Pineapple weed has been used for medicinal purposes, including for relief of gastrointestinal upset, infected sores, fevers, and postpartum anemia.

Description

The pinnately dissected leaves are sweet-scented when crushed (Fir Island, Washington).

The flower head is cone-shaped, composed of dense-packed yellowish-green corollas, and lacking ray-florets. The leaves are pinnately dissected and sweet-scented when crushed. The plant grows 2 to 16 inches (5.1 to 40.6 cm) high. Flowerheads are produced from March to September.

Distribution

The plant grows well in disturbed areas, especially those with poor, compacted soil. It can be seen blooming on footpaths, roadsides, and similar places in spring and early summer. In North America, it can be found from central Alaska down to California and all the way to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It has also become common and naturalised in Britain [4]

Native
Palearctic
Russian Far East: Amur Oblast, Kamchatka Peninsula, Khabarovsk Krai, Kuril Islands, Magadan Oblast, Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin
Eastern Asia: Hokkaido
middle east: south of iran
Nearctic
Subarctic America: Yukon Territory, Alaska
Western Canada: Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba,
Eastern Canada: Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Northwestern United States: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming
Southwestern United States: Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado
Mexico Northwest: Baja California

References

  1. ↑ "Matricaria discoidea". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  2. ↑ Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (2005-09-07). "Taxon: Matricaria discoidea DC.". Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  3. ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ↑ The Wildlife Trusts, "Pineappleweed" http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/pineappleweed
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