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Chamaemelum nobile
Also called Garden Dog-fennel, Chamomile, Common Chamomile, English Chamomile, Garden Chamomile, Russian Chamomile, Corn Chamomile
Roman chamomile is a low, mat-forming herb with daisy-like flowers, often grown as a fragrant lawn or for its dried flowers used in tea. The sources describe it as perennial, though it is often treated as annual or biennial in cultivation.
Chamaemelum nobile, commonly known as chamomile (also spelled camomile), is a low perennial plant found in dry fields and around gardens and cultivated grounds in Europe, North America, and South America. Its synonym is Anthemis nobilis, with various common names, such as Roman chamomile, English chamomile, garden chamomile, ground apple, low chamomile, mother's daisy or whig plant.
C. nobile is one source of the herbal product known as chamomile using dried flowers for flavoring teas or as a fragrance used in aromatherapy. Chamomile has no established medicinal properties.
Chamomile is likely unsafe for use during pregnancy, and its topical use for skin disorders may cause contact dermatitis. Consuming chamomile tea may adversely affect anticoagulant drugs.
Roman chamomile is native to Western Europe and the northwestern Maghreb, but has been introduced to a variety of areas outside its native range, where it has become naturalised. Its native range includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria and the Azores. In Great Britain, it grows wild in Southern England and portions of Wales – primarily in Cornwall, Dartmoor, the New Forest and the Welsh coastline – with populations found north of Derbyshire considered to be naturalised.
Extracts or dried flowers of Chamaemelum nobile are used in hair care and skincare products. The plant may be used to flavor foods and in herbal teas, perfumes, and cosmetics. It is used in aromatherapy in the assumption that it is a calming agent to reduce stress and promote sleep. Chamomile essential oil contains sesquiterpenes, terpene lactones (including the blue compound chamazulene), acetylene derivatives, and polyphenols, which contribute to the fragrance and may be extracted individually.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chamaemelum nobile by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
