Scentless chamomile
Matricaria perforata
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Other Names: tamarisk, salt cedar
USDA Code: ANAR6
Legal Status: Colorado Noxious Weed List B
Identification
Lifecycle: Annual, biennial or short-lived perennial.
Growth form: Forb
Flower: White, ¾ inch daisy like flowers that are solitary on each stem.
Seeds/Fruit: Indeterminate flowering habit, meaning flowers and seed are continually being formed. Each flower head can produce 300 seeds. A single plant can produce 300,000 seeds.
Leaves: Alternate, finely divided and fernlike.
Stems: Can reach ½ to 3 feet tall and has numerous branches.
Roots: Large and fibrous.
Seedling: Seedlings emerging in spring can produce a dense mat, out competing other species.
Similar Species
Exotics: Oxeye daisy, Pineappleweed, and Stinking mayweed
Impacts
Agricultural: Main concern in hayfields and pastures, there is limited control options because more spray is needed than can be used with crops. May cause blistering of livestock muzzles and irritation to mucous membranes.
Habitat and Distribution
General requirements: Prefers moist areas such as drainages, roadsides, streambanks, pastures, and fencelines.
Distribution: Throughout the U.S.
Historical: Introduced from Europe 60 years ago.
References
Whitson, T.D.(ed.), L.C. Burrill, S.A. Dewey, D.W. Cudney, B.E. Nelson, R.D. Lee, R. Parker. 5th Edition 1999. Weeds of the West. Western Society of Weed Science, in cooperation with the Western United States Land Grant Universities Cooperative Extension Services, Newark CA
van Laar, H.H., Bastiaans, L., Baumann, D.T., Christensen, S., Hatcher P.E., Kudsk, P., Grundy, A.C., Marshall , E.J.P., Streibig, J.C. and Tei, F. (eds). Proceedings, 12th EWRS (European Weed Research Society) Symposium 2002, Wageningen. EWRS, Wageningen, 2002, 438pp
Hinz, H. L. 1996. Scentless chamomile, a target for biological control in Canada : factors influencing seedling establishment. In: V. C. Moran and J. H. Hoffmann [eds.], Proceedings of the IX International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, 19-26 January 1996, University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, South Africa, pp. 187-192.
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