A native of the warm Mediterranean and Central Asian lands - the Dalmatian chamomile - quite successfully took root in temperate Russian latitudes. However, it is called chamomile only for its resemblance to a well-known plant.
In fact, kinship is very distant, and the official name sounds solid in foreign terms, and therefore unusual for the Russian ear - feverfew. It is about this culture, its features, use in everyday life and garden design that will be discussed in this publication.
What is feverfew?
Representing perennials from an extensive family of asteraceae, or asters, these plants form a strong rosette of basal leaves with many strongly branched ribbed shoots ending in chamomile inflorescences of different colors, the color of which depends on the type or type of plant. Pretty bushes bloom for a long time and generously, which has earned the love and recognition of gardeners in many countries of the world. Note that different varieties of culture have different names - Persian, Caucasian, etc.
The well-developed root system of the plant is adapted to various growing conditions: the main root goes deep, giving a significant number of subordinate roots forming new bushes. All parts are decorative in the plant: flowers, leaves, appreciated by gardeners for the overall neat compact appearance of the bush and the enviable unpretentiousness of the culture. Leaves of noble gray or bright green shades are figuredly dissected and pubescent in many forms. Inflorescences of different varieties are diverse: there are small, similar to daisies, white-yellow flowers, pompon-like, without a sharply defined middle, single-row and terry daisies of bright exotic colors - red, pink, purple.
In the southern regions of the country, pyrethrum, growing, reaches 0.7-0.9 m in height, in temperate latitudes - up to 0.2-0.5 m. But note that there are many varieties of plants, especially the growth, flowering and color of inflorescences each of them is very individual.
From all the enormous species diversity, we will choose the cinerariel fever (Dalmatian chamomile), used both in garden decoration and for medicinal purposes, and talk about its features.
Dalmatian chamomile in the garden
Grown as an ornamental plant, this type of feverfew is very attractive in mixborders and discounts. No less popular are border plantings and touching chamomile islands, reviving stone placers of alpine hills. But the decorativeness of the feverfew of the cinerariel is not the only merit of culture. It is also distinguished by the high toxicity of all parts: aboveground and root systems. The plant, which is completely harmless to humans, is poisonous to insects living in the garden, and therefore areas with pyrethrum plantings are always well protected from pests.
Description of cinerariel feverfew
Perennial Dalmatian chamomile grows to 0.5-0.7 m in height. At the base of the bush, the stems are lignified, slightly leafy, shoots strongly branch in the upper part, often forming a whole ball of many inflorescences - baskets with a diameter of 3-6 cm, sort of small daisies formed by two types of flowers: middle tubular yellow and marginal reed white with an elongated limb. The fruit ripened after flowering is a brown-yellow achene.
The aroma of the plant is similar, similar to the smell of wormwood, it prevents and repels unwanted alien insects. Dalmatian chamomile blooms in June, fruit ripening occurs in July.
Habitat
The southern origin of culture affects its not always successful distribution in the temperate and northern latitudes of our country. Often feverfew (Dalmatian chamomile) suffers from the instability of weather conditions inherent in these climatic zones. Perhaps this circumstance was the reason why the plant was not cultivated in Russia for a long time (until the middle of the last century). Today, these touching flowers, planted as annual crops, decorate domestic garden plots.
In the wild of the temperate and northern zones of Russia, this plant does not grow. You can find it only in the mountainous regions of southern Europe. In the same latitudes, feverfew is bred on an industrial basis.
Use in home and medicine
Due to the presence of strong insecticidal substances - pyrethrin and citerin, accumulated mainly in inflorescences - Dalmatian chamomile, ground to a powder state, has long been used in many countries as a very effective tool in combating insects - pests of garden and agricultural crops.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, dried chamomile powder imported from foreign countries escaped from household insects and parasites: fleas, bugs, cockroaches, wood lice. And today, the natural insecticides present in the plant are part of many special products.
The medical use of the culture is also very specific: pyrethrum (Dalmatian chamomile) and extracts based on it are successfully used in the treatment of scabies and to achieve an anthelmintic effect.
Growing feverfew
Dalmatian chamomile, the description of which would be incomplete without listing the main stages of agrotechnical measures, is unpretentious and does not lay claim to the gardener's special attention, but grows noticeably better in sunny places with loose, drained, slightly alkaline soils.
Seeds are sown in the ground in May, if necessary, use seedling propagation method. Like many garden residents, feverfew (Dalmatian chamomile) loves moderate watering and periodic weeding. In response to concern, the culture blooms noticeably longer and does not lose its decorative effect until the end of summer.