Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
Botanical family: Asteraceae
Several species under the same French name: Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile, perennial), German chamomile (Matricaria recutita, annual, the main one for infusions), feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium, medicinal). All listed in the European Pharmacopoeia. A thousand-year tradition of a soothing, digestive infusion. Source: ESCOP, Matricariae flos monograph.
Full sun
Light, drained
Moderate: water only in long dry spells; dislikes excess water
Annual
Role in permaculture
Reputed the 'doctor of the vegetable garden' by gardening tradition. Its nectar-rich flowers attract pollinators and helpers (hoverflies, ichneumons). A light, self-seeding ground cover.
Good companions
Insects attracted or useful
Seasons & availability
Sown in spring where it is to grow, from March to May; it flowers from June to September and the flower heads are picked all summer, preferably as flowering begins; dried, they keep for the rest of the year.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Chamomile » (rhs.org.uk/herbs/chamomile/grow-your-own)
- La Ferme de Sainte Marthe, « Réussir la culture de camomille matricaire » (fermedesaintemarthe.com/en/blogs/comment-reussir-la-culture-de/reussir-la-culture-de-camomille-matricaire)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
Possible allergies to Asteraceae (composites). Possible interactions with anticoagulants (chamomile rich in coumarins at high dose). In pregnancy, avoid concentrated or prolonged use as a precaution, the occasional infusion remains tolerated.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find chamomile in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Family behaviour: Asteraceae
In general, Asteraceae are a family rich in flowers appreciated by pollinators and beneficials (pot marigold, yarrow, chamomile). It is very scattered, from the mildest lettuce to the allelopathic sunflower.
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Dioscorides (Greek medical school) and Pliny the Elder (Roman naturalist) · Mediterranean, 1st century AD
The Greek name of chamomile, khamaimelon, is made of khamai, 'on the ground', and melon, 'apple': 'apple of the soil' or 'dwarf apple'. Dioscorides, in book III of De materia medica, and Pliny the Elder, in book XXII of the Natural History, give concordant descriptions; the linguistic fact and these ancient testimonies are solid. The interpretation through the 'apple scent' is explicitly Pliny's ('quoniam odorem mali habeat'), while other botanists, following Theophrastus, read khamai rather as 'low' or 'creeping'. On the other hand, the idea of a chamomile 'consecrated to Ra' in Egypt, often repeated, remains poorly supported and is not taken up here.
Dioscoride, De materia medica, livre III ; Pline l'Ancien, Histoire naturelle, livre XXII, 53 (Ier siècle apr. J.-C.) ; Wiktionnaire, entrée « chamaemelon » (étymologie).
The linguistic fact and the ancient descriptions are attested; the double reading of the name (apple scent in Pliny, 'low plant' following Theophrastus) is flagged as such. The dedication 'to Ra' belongs to unsourced legend and is set aside for want of a primary source. No health virtue is put forward: the entry names two precise authors, at a defined period, without essentialising an ancient 'wisdom'.
Key takeaways
- • Prefers full sun exposure.
- • Ideal soil: light, drained.
- • Classic companion: Onion.