Sea Mayweed or Chamomile?

Sea Mayweed and other Mayweeds (Tripleurospernum spp.) superficially resemble Chamomile. Pineapple Mayweed is possibly the easiest, due to its reported smell of pineapples. Non-scented Mayweed may be more challenging, but I think that Sea Mayweed may be easier to confuse, because it smells similar to chamomile (to me at least).
A few months ago, with a few friends we found what seemed to be Chamomile out at Rusheen Bay. At the time, I was busy and didn't look it up, but pressed it.

Samples of Mayweed (Jan 2013)

Today in  Renville I came across a similar looking plant in a similar habitat - the high shore. It turned out to be not Chamomile - but Sea Mayweed. One main giveaway is the underside of the flower. On the left and below are some photos of what I found today. The flowers are still green (i.e. unripe), notice also the woody stem base as well as the succulent leaves. In both photos, you can see a small, partly opened flower which has bracts underneath.

Mayweed flower close up (Jan 2013)

Here we have the flower close-up, where we can notice the bracts on the outside of the petals, they are green with a brown margin. Chamomile has none!


Despite its name, we have Mayweed flowering in the winter. Unfortunately I have difficulty to find edibility information on this, however it is a distant relative of Chamomile (German Chamomile especially) and Pineapple Weed, which are edible - used in tisanes. But I don't suggest trying it without certainty of its edibility. Also, it has been noted that some of these plants cause allergic reactions in some people (on contact). Caution is strongly advised.

Getting back to the distinction from true Chamomile, on the underside of wild Chamomile's flowers, it is possible to see some of the flower's yellow as well as a more engraved receptacle with sepals and bracts absent. However, Pineapple weed, being in the same genus, has no flower bracts or sepals either. Compare the above photos of Sea Mayweed with this photo of Chamomile from [www.aphotoflora.com]:

Underside of Chamomile flower (Photo from www.aphotoflora.com)

Besides, there are no Chamomile individuals recorded in this area, from the BSBI Maps. Now examining the pressed sample from Rusheen bay, however, it seems to be indeed Chamomile. The flowers didn't press that well, losing some colour and the form distorted by it being forced into 2D. I'll have to go back and see if I can find the same individual and, if it really is chamomile, I shall record it.