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Tanacetum cinerariifolium

Common name:	Dalmation Pellitory	Family:	Compositae
Author:	(Trevir.)Sch.Bip.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:	Pyrethrum cinerariifolium (Trevir.), Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium ((Trevir.)Vis.)
Known Hazards:	Some people are highly allergic to this plant[160]. Prolonged contact with the dried flowers can lead to allergic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma in humans[268].
Range:	Europe - Dalmatia, Yugoslavia.
Habitat:	Rocky ground[50], usually by the seashore[4].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium[E]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dalmatian Pellitory [H], Dalmatian Pyrethrum [H], Dawud Efendi [E], Dawudi [E], Piretro [E], Piretro Di Dalmazia [E], Pyrethrum [H,P,E], Sirobana-Musiyoke-Giku [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Iraq Italy Nepal Spain Turkey Us

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.5m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Vermifuge.

Dalmatian pellitory is not used medicinally, though research has shown that the flowers possess weak antibiotic activity[268]. The flowers are the main source of the insecticide pyrethrum, which is toxic to insects but not to mammals. It has sometimes been used as a vermifuge in China[147].

Other Uses

Insecticide Repellent.

The dried flower buds are the source of the insecticide 'Pyrethrum'[1, 4, 14, 18, 46, 57, 61]. The pyrethrins are produced in the yellow disc florets[169]. The highest pyrethrin content is from the flowers when they are in full bloom (1.22%) and lowest in the preceding period (0.71%)[240]. This insecticide also kills many beneficial insects, though it is relatively harmless to mammals[4]. Another report says that it is non-toxic to mammals[238]. It is best used in the evening so that it will have lost much of its virulence by the morning[201]. Steep two handfuls of the dried powdered flowers in one litre of hot water for an hour. This mixture can be either pureed or strained and then used as a spray[201]. Once dried, the flowers or the powder retain their insecticidal properties almost indefinitely[238].
The growing plant can be used as an insect repellent in the garden[14, 18, 20]. Effective against mosquitoes and ants[201].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in an ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a rich soil with plenty of humus[147]. Prefers a pebbly, calcareous dry soil in a sunny position[4]. When grown in moist climates the plants often die after flowering[4].Tolerates a pH in the range 5.2 to 7.5.
Pyrethrum is widely cultivated as a source of an insecticide[57, 61], the growing plant is also said to repel insects from plants growing nearby[14, 18, 20].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the pot to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Pyrethrum cinerariifolium (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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