''Cota tinctoria'', the golden marguerite, yellow chamomile, or oxeye chamomile, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of
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 widel ...
flowering plant in the
sunflower family. Other common names include dyer's chamomile, Boston daisy, and Paris daisy. In horticulture this plant is still widely referred to by its synonym ''Anthemis tinctoria''.
It is a short-lived plant often treated as
biennial, native to Europe, the Mediterranean and Western Asia and naturalized in scattered locations in North America. It has aromatic, bright green, feathery foliage. The serrate leaves are bi-pinnatifid (= finely divided) and downy beneath. It grows to a height of .
[
It has yellow daisy-like terminal ]flower head
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
s on long thin angular stems, blooming in profusion during the summer.[Flora of North America, Golden marguerite, yellow chamomile, ''Cota tinctoria'' (Linnaeus) J. Gay ex Gussone, Fl. Sicul. Syn. 2: 867. 1845. ]
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It has no culinary or commercial uses and only limited medicinal uses. However, it produces excellent yellow, buff and golden-orange dyes, used in the past for fabrics.
''Cota tinctoria'' is grown in gardens for its bright attractive flowers and fine lacy foliage; there is a white-flowering form. Under the synonym ''Anthemis tinctoria'', the cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
‘E.C. Buxton’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
’s Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
Subspecies
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''australis'' (R.Fern.) Oberpr. & Greuter
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''euxina'' (Boiss.) Oberpr. & Greuter
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''fussii'' (Griseb. & Schenk) Oberpr. & Greuter
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''gaudium-solis'' (Velen.) Oberpr. & Greuter
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''parnassica'' (Boiss. & Heldr.) Oberpr. & Greuter
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''sancti-johannis'' (Stoj. & al.) Oberpr. & Greuter
* ''Cota tinctoria'' subsp. ''virescens'' (Bornm.) Oberpr. & Greuter
References
External links
Anthemideae
Medicinal plants of Africa
Medicinal plants of Asia
Medicinal plants of Europe
Garden plants of Asia
Garden plants of Europe
Plant dyes
Flora of Europe
Flora of Asia
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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