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Anthemis is a genus of aromatic flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, closely related to Chamaemelum, and like that genus, known by the common name chamomile; some species are also called dog-fennel or mayweed. Anthemis are native to the Mediterranean region and southwest Asia east to Iran.
Its synonym is Anthemis nobilis, with various common names, such as Roman chamomile, English chamomile, garden chamomile, ground apple, low chamomile, mother's daisy or whig plant. [ 2 ] C. nobile is one source of the herbal product known as chamomile using dried flowers for flavoring teas or as a fragrance used in aromatherapy .
Perhaps the best-known species is Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile. These are annual or perennial herbs, rarely exceeding half a meter in height and usually bearing solitary white daisylike flowers with yellow centers. They are native to Europe but most species can be found scattered in other continents where they have been introduced.
Most species of plant known as chamomile belong to genera of this tribe. As of 2006 there were about 1800 species classified in 111 genera . [ 2 ] In 2007 the tribe was divided into 14 subtribes, [ 2 ] including Glebionidinae , the source of hybrid garden marguerites .
Chamomile may be used as a flavouring agent in foods and beverages, mouthwash, soaps, and cosmetics. [5] Chamomile tea is a herbal infusion made from dried flowers and hot water, and may improve sleep quality. [3] Two types of chamomile are used, namely German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). [3]
The flowers contain between 0.3 and 1.5% of the essential oil. [9] It is extracted by distillation, mostly out of fresh flower buds and flower stalks. Bisabolol accounts for up to 33% of the oil's content. [10] More than 120 chemical constituents have been identified in chamomile flower, most of them found in the essential oil.
Anthemis cupaniana, called the Sicilian chamomile, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Anthemis, native to Sicily, and introduced to France, Great Britain, Ireland, and the Chatham Islands. [2] It may have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as Anthemis punctata subsp. cupaniana. [3]
Matricaria is a genus of flowering plants in the chamomile tribe within the sunflower family. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Some of the species have the common name of "mayweed", but this name also refers to plants not in this genus.