Weed Information: Anthemis arvensis (chamomile, corn)
Back to Plant List

Anthemis arvensis (chamomile, corn)

Family: Asteraceae

Description

Anthemis arvensis is very similar to Anthemis cotula but not as offensive smelling. According to Flora of the Pacific Northwest the technical difference is: Rays pistillate and fertile, receptacle chaffy throughout. = Anthemis arvensis. Rays sterile and usually neutral; receptacle chaffy only near the middle = Anthemis cotula. Austrian mayweed (Anthemis austriaca), another very similar species, has recently been reported in Washington state (near Pullman). It has a more strongly chaffy receptacle and shorter leaves and leaf segments. Tripleurospermum maritimum ( = Matricaria perforata, M. maritima var. agrestis and Tripleurospermum perforata) is often misidentified as Anthemis arvensis. In this genus however, the receptacle is naked (not chaffy).

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Orange
  • Yellow-orange
  • Yellow
  • White
  • Multi-colored
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Head
  • Panicle
  • Solitary, axillary
  • Solitary, terminal
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
  • 10 petals
  • more than 10 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
  • United > 75% of length
Petal Tip
  • Pointed
  • Rounded
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
  • 6 mm (.24 inch)
  • 7 mm (.28 inch)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.80 inch)
  • 2.5 cm (1.0 inch)
  • 3.0 cm (1.2 inches)
  • 3.5 cm (1.4 inches)
Number of Sepals
  • sepals lacking
  • more than 10 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • Completely free to base
Sepal Tip
  • Rounded
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 1 style
Number of Stamens
  • 5 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Anthers united, syngynoecious

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
Number of Carpels
  • 1 carpel
Ovary Position
  • Inferior (epigynous)
Fruit Type
  • Achene
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 2 mm (.08 inch)
  • 3 mm (.12 inch)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 1 mm (.04 inch) or less
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Alternate
Leaf Type
  • Pinnately dissected
Stipules
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole absent (leaf sessile)
  • Petiole < 25% total length
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.60 inches)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 5 - 10 mm (.20 - .40 inch)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.6 inches)
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Parted
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Acute (cuneate)
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Glabrous (NO hairs)
Succulence
  • Not succulent

Milky Juice
  • Juice NOT milky (watery)
Woodiness
  • Herbaceous
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines or Thorns ABSENT
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Annual
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Spreading ascending
  • Erect, columnar (narrow)
  • Erect, spherical (bushy)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
  • 4 - 6 dm (1.3 - 2.0 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Alabama
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Hawaii
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Iowa
  • Idaho
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Nebraska
Canadian Province or Territory
  • British Columbia
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Quebec
  • Newfoundland
Other
  • District of Columbia
  • Greenland

  • Gilkey`s Weeds of the Pacific Northwest, 1980 (ISBN 0-88246-039-0) See page: 351
  • How to Know the Weeds, 1972, (ISBN# 0-697-04880-2) See page: 185
  • Manual of Ohio Weeds, 1931 Ohio Ag. Exp. Station Bull. # 475, See page: 102
  • Ontario Weeds, 1992 Agdex 640, Publication #505 See page: 217
  • Representative Missouri Weeds and Their Control, 1941 Univ. of Missouri Ag. Exp Station Bulletin #433, See page: 179
  • Weeds, 1955 (1980) Walter Conrad Muenscher, ISBN# 0-8014-1266-8 See page: 426, 427
  • Weeds of California and other Western States, 2007 (ISBN 13: 978-1-879906-69-3) See Page: 191
  • Weeds of Canada, 1970 Canada Dept. of Ag., Pub. # 948, See page: 174
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See species #: 322
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1997 Cornell University ISBN# 0-8014-8334-4 See page: 106,112,128
  • Weeds of the Northern United States and Canada, 1964 Montgomery See page: 169
  • Weeds of the United States and Their Control, Lorenzi 1987, ISBN# 0-442-25884-4 See page: 293
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 X
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
Back to Plant List