Matricaria Chamomilla. Corn Feverfew, or 
Camomile. 
MATRICARIA Lin, Gen. PL Syngenesia Polygamia Superflua» 
Recept. nudum. Pappus nullus. Cal. hemifphaHicus, imbricatus I 
marginalibus folidis, acutiufculis. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 8. Herb,e flore composito discoide, seminibus pappo 
DESTITUTIS, CORYMBIFERAE DICTAE. 
MATRICARIA Chamomilla receptaculis conicis, radiis patentibus, fquamis calycinis margine 
aequalibus. Lin. Syjt. Vegetab. p. 643. Sp. Pl.p. 1256. FI. Suec. n. 764. 
MATRICARIA foliis planis capillaribus, duplicato-pinnatis, pinnulis lanceolatis bifidis trifidifque. 
Haller, hijl. n. 101. 
CHAMAlMELUM vulgare, Leucanthemum Diofcoridis. Bank. pin. 135» 
CHAMALMELUM Gerard. emac. 754. 
CHAMAlMELUM vulgare Parkin/. 85. (qui vulgare cum nobili confundit) Raii Syn. p , 185» 
Hudfon FI. Angi. cd. 2. p. 372. Lightfoot Fl. Scot. p. 491. 
RADIX annua, fimplex, fibrofa. 
CAULIS pedalis, ad fefquipedalem, ereCtus, ramofus, 
fubangulofus, ftriatus, laevis. 
FOLIA faturate viridia, alterna, felfilia, laevia, pin- 
nata, pinnis linearibus, inferioribus fimplici- 
bus, fuperioribus ramofis, pinnulis acutis, ; 
mucronatis, divaricatis, cofla femilineam lata, 
carinata. 
PEDUNCULI ereCii, ftriati, nudi, fuperne fubincraf- 
fati. 
FLORES albi, difco e luteo-virefcente. 
CALYX communis hemifphaericus, fquamis plurimis, 
imbricatis, obtufiufculis, apice fufcefcentibus, 
fubmembranaceis, longitudine fere tubi flof- 
culorum femineorum in radio, fig. 1. 
FLOSCULI radii 13 circiter, feminei, oblongi, fefqui- 
lineam lati, bifulci, tridentati, dentibus ob- 
tufiufculis, fig. 2. Stigma bifidum, flavum, 
laciniis reflexis, fig. 3. 
FLOSCULI difci, numerofi, tubulofi, hermaphroditi, 
qumquedentati, fig. 4. Stigma bifidum, la- 
ciniis reflexis, fig. 5. 
SEMINA numerofa, minuta, pallide fufca, oblonga, 
fui cata, fig. 6 . 
RECEPTACULUM oblongum nudum. 
ROOT annual, fimple, and fibrous. 
STALK a foot, or a foot and a half high, upright, 
branched, fomewhat angular, flriated, and 
fmooth. 
LEAVES of a deep green colour, alternate, feflile, 
fmooth, pinnated, the pinnas linear, the lower 
ones fimple, the upper ones branched, the 
pinnulas or fmall pinnas fharp and terminat- 
ing in a fhort point, divaricating, the midrib 
half a line broad, and keeled. 
FLOWER STALKS upright, flriated, naked, a little 
thickened above. 
FLOWERS white, the difk of a yellowifh-green 
colour. 
CALYX common to all the florets, hemifpherical, 
fcales numerous, imbricated, fomewhat ob- 
tufe, the tips brownifh, and a little mem- 
branous, almoff the length of the tube of the 
female flowers in the circumference, fig. 1. 
FLOWERS of the radius about 13 in number, female, 
oblong, a line and a half broad, two-grooved, • 
three-toothed, teeth bluntifh,^-. 2. Stigma 
. bifid, yellow, the fegments turned back .fig. 3. 
FLOWERS of the difk, numerous, tubular, herma- 
phrodite, five-toothed, fig. 4. Stigma bifid, 
the fegments turned back, fig. 5. 
SEEDS numerous, minute, of a pale brown colour, 
oblong and grooved, 6 . 
RECEPTACLE oblong and naked. 
The Matricaria Chamomilla, Anthemis Cotula, and Chryf anthemum inodorum, are three very common plants 
in the neighbourhood of London ; as the two firfl are extremely fimilardn their general appearance, and are 
often found growing together, we have publifiied them in the fame number, that an opportunity might be 
afforded of comparing and contrafting them. 
Parkinson, deceived by their great fimilarity, makes only one plant of them; Mayweed, fays he, is fo 
like unto Chamomile, that I muff needs join them together. 
The ftudent who is acquainted with the mode of inveftigating the generic character of each, will quickly 
diftinguilh the one from the other ; on differing the heads, he will find the pointed paleae which are fixed to 
the receptacle of the Anthemis totally wanting in the Matricaria ; but this knowledge, though highly necef- 
fary, is not fufficient for thofe who would with to know plants at firft fight, which’ is always definable ; we fhali 
therefore, in addition to the generic character, point out feveral others, in which they have appeared to us 
materially to differ from each other. 
Their place of growth affords but little diflinCtion, they are both natives of corn-fields, both grow in them 
in the greateft abundance, often together, frequently feparate, nor is it unufual to find them on the confines 
of dunghills, and by road-fides ; they both flower at the fame time, from May to July and Auguft, both are 
annuals, and grow nearly to the fame height, but in the following particulars they differ : the whole plant in 
the Matricaria puts on a deep green colour, and fomewhat fhining appearance ; the Anthemis, on the con- 
trary, affumes a much paler hue, and the flalk is often covered with a kind of woolly fubftance : the leaves 
in the Matricaria are nearly as fine as thofe of fennel, which they diflantly refemble ; in the Anthemis they 
are almoft twice as broad, and the points of them, which in the Matricaria are fimple, in the Anthemis are 
often bifid. 
The Petals in both thefe plants begin to hang down in the evening, and continue to do fotill morning; 
but thofe of the Anthemis are in general much broader than thofe of the Matricaria, and fomewhat fhorter ; 
but, in this particular, both plants are fubjeCt to great variation ; the difk of the flower in the Anthemis is not 
fo prominent, but of a lighter yellow than that of the Matricaria. Such are the characters which prefent 
themfelves to the eye of an accurate obferver, but there is another which will greatly affift to corroborate, 
confirm, and render it impoffible for the plants to be miftaken, viz. the fmell ; if the heads of the Matricaria 
are bruifed, they will be found to emit a flrong fmell, fomewhat refembling the true Chamomile, but not fo 
pleafant, while the heads of the Anthemis, treated in the fame manner, fmell intolerably difagreeable ; another 
circumftance may alfo be added, the Matricaria is not known to blifter the fkin, in which alone it is perhaps 
lefs mifehievous to the hufbandman than the other: nor is the character which may be drawn from the feeds to 
be defpifed, thofe of the Anthemis being broad and truncated at top, wrinkly, and of a deep brown colour 
when ripe, thofe of the Matricaria much fmaller, paler, and different in their fhape, vid.fig. 6 . 
July 7th, we difeovered feveral larvae feeding on this fpecies, which produced the Cafiida viridis. — Cattle in 
general refufe the Matricaria. — In Sweden the flowers are ufed medicinally inflead of the Anthemis nobilis. 
Mr. Hudson, in our opinion, is perfectly juftified, in making one plant of the Matricaria Chamomilla and 
fuaveolens ; Mr. Lightfoot, in his Flora Scotica, previoufly fuggefted that they were the fame. We are 
furprifed that Profelfor Murray fliould adopt a fpecies founded on fuch vague characters as radiis defiexis 
and radiis patentibus. 
