Mayweed and chamomile on sandy shores
Photos: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Scentless mayweed
Scentless mayweed Rand-kesalill Matricaria maritima
Scentless chamomile Harilik kesalill Matricaria perforata
The scentless mayweed and the scentless chamomile flower for a long time at the seashore. Botanists even hold the mayweed growing at the shore for a separate species – Matricaria maritima. The ox-eye daisy and the chamomile (Chamomilla recutita or Matricaria recutita) are similar species familiar to us, and the scentless chamomile (Matricaria perforata) is a quite common weed in our fields.
The scentless chamomile grows from seed either as a biennial plant, or germinating already in the autumn, overwintering and flowering the next summer. The stems of the mayweed are much branched, the feathery leaves remind of the garden herb dill.
The main stem as well as the side stems have inflorescences and continue flowering for a long time, until snow comes. The white ray florets at the edge of the inflorescence are female flowers, the yellow disk florets however are epicine (both male and female). The great number of florets in the inflorescence results in amazing numbers – 50 000 up to 1,5 million achenes (seeds that are one-seeded dry fruits) may form, from a single plant.
Grey heron in mayweed field
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