Field chamomile

Anthemis arvensis, the corn chamomile, scentless mayweed or field chamomile, is a low-growing annual or short-lived perennial in the family Asteraceae. Plants reach 20–50 cm tall, with branched, slightly downy stems bearing finely twice- or thrice-pinnately divided leaves whose narrow segments give the foliage a feathery appearance similar to true chamomile, though with little or no scent. From May to August it produces solitary daisy-like flower heads about 2–3 cm across, with bright yellow conical disc florets surrounded by white ray florets that reflex with age, on long stalks. The cypselae are small, ribbed and lack a pappus. Native to the western Palearctic, including Macaronesia, North Africa, southwestern Asia and most of Europe, it is a common weed of cereal fields, fallow ground and disturbed soils, and is now widely naturalised in North and South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia. Six subspecies are recognised across its native range.