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Tanacetum parthenium
| Common name: |
Feverfew |
Family: |
Compositae |
| Author: |
(L.)Sch.Bip. |
Botanical references: |
200 |
| Synonyms: |
Matricaria parthenium (L.), Chrysanthemum parthenium ((L.)Bernh.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
S.E. Europe to Asia. Naturalized in Britain[17]. |
| Habitat: |
Mountain scrub, rocky slopes, walls, waste places and a weed of gardens, avoiding acid soils[9]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 5 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Chrysanthemum praealtum[G]
Leucanthemum parthenium[G]
Matricaria capensis[H]
Matricaria eximia[G,H]
Pyrethrum parthenium[H]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Altamisa De Castilla [S], Amargosa [E], Bachelor's Buttons [H], Featherfew [H], Featherfoil [H], Feverfew [B,H,S,L,P], Flirtwort [H], Manzanilla [E], Matricaria [E], Moederkruid [D], Varadika [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
parthenium = name of Greek plant;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Colombia; Dominican Republic; Europe; Mexico; Spain; Turkey; Us; Venezuela
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
5/5 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.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil.
The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds, In Walls, In South Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall.Edible Uses
Condiment; Tea.
The dried flowers are used as a flavouring in cooking certain
pastries[177, 183]. The plant is used in cooking to impart a deliciously
aromatic bitter taste to certain foods[7].
A tea is made from the dried flowers[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antiecchymotic; Antiinflammatory; Antispasmodic; Aperient; Bitter; Carminative; Emmenagogue; Sedative; Stimulant; Stings; Stomachic; Vasodilator; Vermifuge.
Feverfew has gained a good reputation as a medicinal herb and extensive
research since 1970 has proved it to be of special benefit in the treatment
of certain types of migraine headaches and rheumatism[238, K]. It is also
thought of as a herb for treating arthritis and rheumatism[254].
The leaves and flowering heads are anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic,
aperient, bitter, carminative, emmenagogue, sedative, stimulant, stings,
stomachic, vasodilator and vermifuge[4, 7, 21, 36, 46, 53, 100, 165]. The
plant is gathered as it comes into flower and can be dried for later use[7].
Use with caution[165], the fresh leaves can cause dermatitis and mouth ulcers
if consumed[238]. This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant
women[238].
A tea made from the whole plant is used in the treatment of arthritis,
colds, fevers etc. It is said to be sedative and to regulate menses[222,
238]. An infusion is used to bathe swollen feet[257].
Applied externally as a tincture, the plant is used in the treatment of
bruises etc[7].
Chewing 1 - 4 leaves per day has proven to be effective in the treatment of
some migraine headaches[222]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Essential; Repellent.
The dried flower buds are a source of an insecticide. They are said to
have the same properties as pyrethrum (obtained mainly from T.
cinerariifolia)[61, 100, 201]. Steep 1 cupful of the dried flowers in one
litre of hot soapy water for an hour. Strain, then allow to cool slightly
before use[201].
An essential oil from the plant is used in perfumery[7].
Cultivation details
A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in an ordinary garden soil[1].
Thrives in any kind of soil[7], plants can even be grown in walls[219].
Often grown in the flower garden, feverfew is a short lived perennial but
usually self-sows prolifically[7, K]. There are many named varieties selected
for their ornamental value[238]. The cultivar 'Golden' (syn 'Yellow') has
yellow tinted leaves[183].
The leaves have a refreshing aromatic aroma[245].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed and do not
allow the pot to dry out. When they are large enough to handle, prick the
seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer, after
the last expected frosts.
If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ during the
spring.
Plants usually self-sow freely and so, once you have the plant, further
sowing is usually unnecessary[K].
Division in spring. Since the plants are quite short-lived, this method is
not really very serviceable[K].
Scent
-
Leaves: Crushed
- The leaves have a refreshing aromatic aroma.
Cultivars
- ''
- No entries have been made for this species as yet.
Suppliers
Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to so please mention us when ordering.
- Wildwood Nurseries
-
Lower Manor Cottage
Thornbury
Holsworthy
Devon
EX22 7DD
Email: lorna@macace.co.uk
Phone 01409 261324
Fax 01409 261324
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Wildwood by email/phone
Last Updated: March 03
Item:
Chrysanthemum parthenium
(feverfew)
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
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- Images
from the CalPhoto database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Chrysanthemum parthenium (a possible synonym).
References for Matricaria parthenium (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Pyrethrum parthenium (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for tanacetum parthenium (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[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.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[36] The Herb Society Herbal Review. Vol.11. 3. The Herb Society 1986 ISBN 0264-9853
A very interesting article on the stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, giving a lot of information on its uses. Also details on Tanacetum parthenifolium and Melaleuca alternifolium.
[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.
[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.
[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.
[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[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.
[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[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.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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