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| Matricaria discoidea | ||||||||||||||||
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 Pineapple Weed
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| Matricaria discoidea DC. |
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Artemisia matricarioides auct. |
Matricaria discoidea, commonly known as pineapple weed and disc mayweed is an annual plant native to North America and NE Asia but which has become a cosmopolitan weed. It is in the family Asteraceae. The flowers exude a chamomile/pineapple aroma when crushed. They are edible and have been used in salads (although they may become bitter by the time the plant blooms) and to make a herbal tea. Pineapple weed has been used for medicinal purposes, including for relief of gastrointestinal upset, infected sores, fevers, and postpartum anemia.
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Description
The flower head is cone-shaped, composed of dense-packed yellowish-green corollas, and lacking ray-florets. The leaves are pinnately dissected and sweet-scented when crushed. The plant grows 3 to 12 inches (7.5 - 30 cm) high.
Distribution
The plant grows well in disturbed areas, especially those with poor, compacted soil. It can be seen blooming on footpaths, roadsides, and similar places in spring and early summer. In the USA, it can be found from central Alaska down to California and all the way to Maine.
- Native
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- Palearctic
- Soviet Far East: Amur Oblast, Kamchatka Peninsula, Khabarovsk Krai, Kuril Islands, Magadan Oblast, Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin
- Eastern Asia: Hokkaido
- Nearctic
- Subarctic America: Yukon Territory, Alaska
- Western Canada: Alberta, British Columbia
- Northwestern United States: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming
- Southwestern United States: Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah
- Mexico Northwest: Baja California
References
- ^ Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). "PLANTS Profile, Matricaria discoidea" (HTML). The PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (2005-09-07). "Taxon: Matricaria discoidea DC." (HTML). Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
External links
- University of Michigan Native American Ethnobotany
- Pineapple weed
- Robbins, W. W., Margaret K. Bellue, and Walter S. Ball. 1970. Weeds of California. Documents and Publications, Sacramento. 547 p.
- Gregory L. Tilford. 1997. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula. 110 p.
- University of California, Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program
- Den virtuella floran: Matricaria discoidea distribution
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 10 August 2008, at 22:12.
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