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Golden chamomile

Golden chamomile

Cota tinctoria

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How common: Common

Alien species

Golden chamomile is a bright yellow, daisy-like plant of open, sunny places. It usually stands 20–80 cm tall with few branches and feathery grey‑green leaves. Native across much of Europe and western Asia, it is also widely grown in gardens and often shows up along roads and fields.

Did you know?

  • Its Latin name tinctoria means “used for dye” — the flowers and leaves give yellow shades.
  • As the bloom ages, the yellow center rises into a small dome.

About the species

Identification

Upright, usually with one main stem, 20–80 cm tall. Stems stiff, with short hairs near the top. Leaves are finely cut into many narrow pieces, giving a feathery, grey‑green look; they smell aromatic when crushed. Flower heads sit alone at the tips and are 2.5–4 cm across, with a ring of bright yellow “petals” around a deeper yellow center that becomes more domed with age. Fruits are small, angular seeds with a tiny rim at the tip. Compare with corn marigold, which has broader, not finely divided leaves; and tansy, which has many button-like heads without petals. Flowers in Finland from June to September.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

yards and roadsides

Flowering

Jun–Sep

About the habitat

Open, sunny ground such as meadows, field margins, roadsides, rocky and waste places; it favors well‑drained, often sandy or gravelly soils and disturbed sites. Common and established in southern Finland; becomes rarer toward the north with scattered records farther north, and has declined.

Sources

Photo: Марина Садыкова, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6235820228

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39807

Text: Pinkka (Luomus), CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39807

Text: Pinkka: BIO-516 Hyötykasvit - Muita raaka-ainekasveja, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39807

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keltasauramo

See also