blunt chamomile

Anthemis retusa is an annual or perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, belonging to the genus Anthemis, commonly known as chamomiles or dog fennels. The genus Anthemis comprises approximately 175 species distributed primarily across the Mediterranean region, Middle East, and Western Asia, with a few species extending into northern Europe and central Asia. The epithet 'retusa' means 'blunt' or 'retuse' in Latin, referring to a notched, indented, or blunt-tipped leaf apex, phyllary, or other plant part that distinguishes this species morphologically. Like most chamomiles, Anthemis retusa produces deeply pinnately divided or bipinnately divided leaves with linear to narrow segments, giving the foliage a fine, feathery texture. Stems are erect to ascending, often branched. Capitula are radiate, borne singly or in loose cymes, with white ray florets (sometimes reflexed with age) and yellow disc florets on a conical or hemispherical receptacle. The receptacle bears paleae (chaffy bracts) between the disc florets, a feature distinguishing Anthemis from the closely related Matricaria. Achenes are oblong and ribbed, with a short scarious pappus crown or no pappus. Many Anthemis species have a strong, often unpleasant odor when crushed. They inhabit disturbed ground, fields, roadsides, stony slopes, and dry grasslands. Anthemis species have traditional uses in folk medicine across the Mediterranean region, though true chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is the primary medicinal species.