Chamomile Facts You Might Not Know About

Have you noticed a specific bouquet of flowers that has small white flowers with a yellow disk in the middle popping up on your Facebook or Instagram feeds lately? In fact, those are chamomile flowers and here are some facts you may not know about it.

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L. Rauschert), is a species of flowering plant that possess medicinal properties and has herbaceous fragrance. Albeit its characteristics, the plant belongs to the daisy (Asteraceae) family. Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus), a Greek author, mentions that the chamomile bears an apple-like scent, hence the name Chamomile is formed which is derived from two Greek words: Khamai meaning “on the ground” and melon meaning “apple”.

Unlike the other herbaceous plants, chamomile grows in the form of small shrubs that usually reach between 8 to 12 inches in height. In addition, the German chamomile species only grows to the height of 3 feet. Coincidentally, it is the same flower that is use to make chamomile tea which help soothes menstrual cramps, stomach aches and helps improve sleep.

Despite its popularity in tea production and floristry, chamomile only blooms from June to July, rendering it a seasonal flower. People often mistaken it as “daisies” or “mini daisies”, so when you want to purchase it from your local florist, remember that it is chamomile flowers so you do not buy the wrong flowers. You can get it as a bouquet on itself or as filler with other flowers.