Feverfew, Wild camomile
Tanacetum parthenium

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A short lived perennial herb. It has a strong smell. It grows 45-60 cm high and spreads 30-45 cm wide. The leaves are yellow-green and oval. The leaves can be 8 cm long and divided into lobes along the stalk. The flowers are daisy-like and in clusters. The flowers are 2.5 cm across.

It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is hardy to frost. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 6-10.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Is., Caucasus (country/location of origin), Central America, Central Asia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Crete, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Europe (country/location of origin), Falklands, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Himalayas, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Manchuria, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sicily, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, West Indies, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

The dried flowers are used as tea or in wine and in some pastries. CAUTION: Handling the leaves can cause skin rashes and eating them can cause mouth ulcers.

It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Flowers - tea

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seed.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) E.H.L. Krause; Matricaria parthenium L.; and several others