''Cladanthus mixtus'', commonly known as the Moroccan chamomile, is a mostly

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

species of flowering plant in the aster family, often considered a weed but is also distilled for essential oil, which changes in composition depending on where it grows.

Distribution

''Cladanthus mixtus'' is found throughout the Mediterranean Basin and Western Europe (from the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...

west to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

north to the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

), being especially prominent in western

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. It has been introduced to

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, Uruguay and is sparingly naturalized in a few widely scattered locations in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
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Habitat and ecology

The Moroccan Chamomile grows best in moist and rich soil, but it also has the ability to grow in soils that are more salty around the Mediterranean Sea. ''Cladanthus mixtus'' does not need extreme amounts of water as it can retain water because of its thicker

cuticle A cuticle (), or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non- homologous, differing in their origin, structu ...

, allowing the species to hold water for longer durations. ''Cladanthus mixtus'' can tolerate both warm/cool and hot environments. It is an annual plant and does not interact with other vegetation much.

Morphology

Individuals of the species ''Cladanthus mixtus'' have a yellowish to orange base with white flower petals. Stems are about 4–10 cm long and the leaves of the plant are simple and ordinary in structure but are more like branching leaves. Petals are closely arranged together next to each other surrounding the flower.

Flowers

Flowers of ''Cladanthus mixtus'' bloom only during a rainy season that provides with plant with enough water and nutrients to bloom. The plant is fully mature once the flowers bloom. The flower then dies after a rainy season and awaits the next rainy season to bloom once again.

Medicinal

''Cladanthus mixtus'' has been used to collect certain oils to be used for perfumes and other skin products The whole flower is crushed up to try to extract these oils. A study confirms that the ''Cladanthus mixtus'' species has different oil compositions depending on the area in which the plant is grown. In some areas the concentrations of the oils would be higher than that of the same species in different areas. In some cases the same species was found to produce oils that would not be used in mixtures of skin ointments and other products.

References

Sources

USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program 2012
* Elouaddari, A., 2013: ''Yield and chemical composition of the essential oil of Moroccan chamomile ladanthus mixtus (L.) Chevall.growing wild at different sites in Morocco'' in ''Flavour and Fragrance Journal'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q15546931 Anthemideae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus