''Tripleurospermum maritimum'' ( syn. ''Matricaria maritima'') is a species of flowering plant in the aster family commonly known as false mayweed or sea mayweed. It is found in many coastal areas of Northern Europe, including

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, often growing in sand or amongst beach pebbles. In Iceland, sea mayweed is known as Baldr's eyelashes (baldursbrá), though this name is given to all mayweed flowers in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

and Sweden.

Description

''Tripleurospermum maritimum'' is a herbaceous

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

or short-lived

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

which grows with prostrate to erect stems to a height of . As with many maritime plants, it is a

halophyte A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs and seashores. Th ...

with fleshy leaves which help it to survive in the harsh salty environment. The leaves are divided into short segments. When crushed, they yield a sweet smell similar to that of its relative

chamomile Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, ''Matricaria recutita'' and ''Anthemis nobilis'', are commonly us ...

, though much fainter. The daisy-like flowers usually appear between July and September and can reach up to 50 mm across. The stems of the plant are frequently tinged red towards the base.

Habitat

Found around the coast in the uppershore and waste ground.Hackney, P. ed. 1992. ''Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland.'' Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast

References

External links

Anthemideae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Anthemideae-stub