A native of the warm Mediterranean and Central Asian lands - Dalmatian chamomile - quite successfully took root in temperate Russian latitudes. However, it is called chamomile only for its resemblance to a famous plant.
In fact, this relationship is very distant, and the official name sounds solid in a foreign language, and therefore unusual for the Russian ear - feverfew. It is this culture, its features, use in everyday life and garden design that will be discussed in this publication.
What is feverfew?
Representing perennials from the extensive family of Asteraceae, or Asteraceae, these plants form a strong rosette of basal leaves with many highly branched ribbed shoots ending in chamomile inflorescences of different colors, the color of which depends on the type or variety of plant. Pretty bushes bloom for a long time and generously, which won the love and recognition of gardeners in many countries of the world. Note that different varieties of culture have different names - Persian, Caucasian, etc.
A well-developed root system of the plant is adapted to various growing conditions: the main root goes deep, givinga significant number of adventitious roots forming new bushes. All parts of the plant are decorative: flowers, leaves, gardeners appreciate the overall neat compact appearance of the bush and the enviable unpretentiousness of the culture. Leaves of noble gray or bright green shades are figuratively dissected and pubescent in many forms. The inflorescences of different varieties are diverse: here are small, white-yellow flowers similar to daisies, pompon-shaped, without a sharply defined center, single-row and double daisies of bright exotic colors - red, pink, purple.
In the southern regions of the country, pyrethrums, growing, reach 0.7-0.9 m in height, in temperate latitudes - up to 0.2-0.5 m. But note that there are many plant varieties, growth characteristics, flowering and coloring of inflorescences for each of them are very individual.
From all the huge species diversity, we will choose pyrethrum cineraria (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 pyrethrum is very attractive in mixborders and discounts. No less popular are curb plantings and touching chamomile islands that enliven the stone placers of alpine hills. But the decorativeness of pyrethrum cineraria is not the only advantage of culture. It is also distinguished by the high toxicity of all parts: aerial and root systems. A plant that is completely harmless to humans is poisonous to insects living in the garden, and therefore areas withFeverfew plantings are always well protected from pests.
Description of cinerarial pyrethrum
Perennial Dalmatian chamomile grows up to 0.5-0.7 m in height. At the base of the bush, the stems are lignified, slightly leafy, in the upper part the shoots branch strongly, often forming a whole ball of many inflorescences - baskets 3-6 cm in diameter, sort of small daisies formed by two types of flowers: middle tubular yellow and marginal reed white with an oblong limb. The fruit ripened after flowering is a brown-yellow achene.
Wonderful aroma of the plant, similar to the smell of wormwood, it warns and repels unwanted insect aliens. Dalmatian chamomile blooms in June, fruits ripen in July.
Habitats
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 that for a long time (until the middle of the last century) the plant was not cultivated in Russia. Today, these touching flowers, planted as annual crops, adorn domestic garden plots.
In the wild nature 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 everyday life and medicine
Due to the presence of strong insecticidal substances - pyrethrin and cynerin, accumulated mainly in inflorescences - Dalmatian chamomile, ground to a powder state, has long been used in many countries as a very effective tool in the fight against insects - pests of horticultural and agricultural crops.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, powder from dried chamomile imported from foreign countries was saved from domestic insects and parasites: fleas, bedbugs, cockroaches, wood lice. And today, the natural insecticides present in the plant are part of many special products.
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 claim special attention from the gardener, but grows noticeably better in sunny places with loose, drained, slightly alkaline soils.
Seeds are sown in the ground in May, if necessary, use the seedling method of propagation. Like many garden dwellers, feverfew (Dalmatian chamomile) likes moderate watering and occasional weeding. In response to care, the culture blooms noticeably longer and does not lose its decorative effect until the end of summer.
