Matricaria matricarioides
| Matricaria matricarioides | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Matricaria matricarioides (common name: pineapple weed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or late summer in situ. Germination should take place within 3 weeks.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any well-drained soil in a sunny position[1].
The bruised or sun-warmed leaves emit the appealing odour of ripe apples[2].
Range: N.E. Asia. An introduced and increasing weed in Britain.
Habitat: Waysides and waste places, especially along tracks, paths and by trampled gateways[3].
Edibility: Flower heads - raw or cooked[4]. A tasty nibble[4].
The dried flowers are used to make herb teas[4]. They are pineapple scented when steeped in hot water[5].
Medicinal: The flowering plant is antispasmodic, carminative, galactogogue, sedative, skin and vermifuge[6][4][7]. This plant is rarely used medicinally, though it is sometimes employed as a domestic remedy in the treatment of intestinal worms and also as a sedative[6]. The plant is harvested when in flower in the summer and is dried for later use[6]. Some caution is advised since some individuals are allergic to this plant[7].
Usage: The plant repels insects[4]. The dried flowers are used as an insect repellent[8].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Some people are allergic to this plant[7].
Also Known As: M. discoidea. DC. M. suaveolens. non L.
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.