Corn Chamomile

Sinai.

Europe, southwest Asia, naturalized elsewhere.

Cultivations and waste ground.

Annual.

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Trupanea stellata feeds within capitulum of Anthemis arvensis

Anthemis arvensis is morphologically variable; it is found throughout much of North America.

Annuals (sometimes persisting), (5–)10–30+[–80] cm, not notably scented. Stems green or reddish, decumbent (sometimes rooting at nodes) or ascending to erect, branched mostly proximally, ± strigoso-sericeous or villous, glabrescent. Leaf blades 15–35 × 8–16 mm, 1–2-pinnately lobed (ultimate lobes triangular to narrowly elliptic or linear). Peduncles mostly 4–15 cm (sometimes clavate in fruit). Involucres 6–13 mm diam., ± villous. Receptacles paleate throughout; paleae lanceolate to oblanceolate, weakly navicular (± carinate), 3–4+ mm (including acuminate-spinose tips). Ray florets 5–20, pistillate, fertile; corollas white, rarely tinged with pink, laminae 5–15 mm. Disc corollas (sometimes tinged with purple) 2–3(–4) mm. Cypselae 1.7–2+ mm, ribs smooth or weakly tuberculate (sometimes separated by relatively deep furrows); pappi 0 or coroniform (0.01+ mm). 2n = 18.

Annual or biennial, sparingly to densely hairy, decumbent or erect, up to 50 (-80) cm tall herb. Leaves ovate-oblong, 1.5 – 5 cm long, 0.5 – 1.5 cm wide, 1-3-pinnatisect into ± hairy, linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate to elliptic, acute-mucronate ultimate segments. Peduncles slender, not or slightly to distinctly upwardly thickened in fruit. Capitula radiate, 1 – 4 cm across. Phyllaries oblong or oblong-obovate, outer acute, inner subacute to obtuse, hyaline to pale-brown scarious margined, hairy. Receptacle convex to elongated and conical especially in fruit, 2 – 10 x 2 – 3 mm, ± contracted, acute or attenuate to the tip. Phyllaries mostly lanceolate to oblanceolate, nearly as long as disc-florets, ± stiff acuminate apically, subpersistent. Ray-florets 12 – 15, fertile, corolla tube glabrous, ligules oblong-elliptic, 3.5 – 17 x 2.5 – 5 mm, white, deciduous. Disc-florets yellow, occasionally purplish-tinged, 2.5 – 3.5 mm long, basally not or very slightly inflated, glabrous. Cypselas obconical, 2 – 2.5 mm long, squarish in cross section, smooth, usually 10-ribbed, ribs thickened, obtuse, apex with a thickened undulating rim or a short lacerate hyaline auricle.

Distribution: Throughout Europe (except extreme North), Turkey, Soviet Union (except Siberia), Iran; Introduced in N & S America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Fl. Per.: May-August.

Probably an introduced species, grown as an ornamental in Pakistan.

Anthemis arvensis var. agrestis (Wallroth) de Candolle; Chamaemelum arvense (Linnaeus) Hoffmannsegg & Link

Anthemis arvensis L. Sp. PI. 894. 1753
Chamaemelum arvense Schreb. Spicil, Fl, Lips, 18, 1771. Matricaria arvensis Baillon, Hist. PI. 8: 310. 1882.
A leafy annual; stem 2-5 dm, high, ascending or erect, branched, striate, hirsutevillous; leaves 3-5 cm. long, bipinnatifid, with linear-lanceolate cuspidate lobes, hirsutevillous ; heads solitary at the ends of the branches; involucre 4—5 mm. high, 7-12 mm. broad; bracts villoushirsute, the outer shorter, lanceolate and acute, the inner oblong and rounded at the apex; receptacle conic; paleae linear-lanceolate, abruptly cuspidate, usually equaling the disk-flowers; ray-flowers 15-20; ligules white, 7-12 mm. long, 3-4 mm. wide; disk-corollas 3 mm. long; tube cylindric, equaling the throat; achenes 1.5-2 mm. long, shining, subcylindric, 10-ribbed; pappus a minute border.
Type locality: Sweden.
Distribution: Maine and Quebec to Pennsylvania and Georgia; British Columbia to Oregon; adventive from Europe and the Orient.

Anthemis arvensis, also known as corn chamomile, mayweed, scentless chamomile, or field chamomile is a species of flowering plant in the genus Anthemis, in the aster family. It is used as an ornamental plant.