''Tripleurospermum maritimum'' (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''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 The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, including

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

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 t ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Description

''Tripleurospermum maritimum'' is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

biennial 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 wide ...

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