Chamomile English vs. Chamomile White

Growth Habit

• White chamomile is an annual that grows to 20 to 24 inches tall and 12 inches wide, with a branching habit. The plants are strongly scented, with tiny, lined leaves. The stems are smooth. English chamomile, hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, is a low grower, reaching 3 to 6 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide. It has hairy stems, fernlike foliage and a mat-forming habit. English chamomile leaves smell like apples.

Flowers

• Both chamomiles have similar, daisylike flowers consisting of a yellow disk center composed of true flowers surrounded by white petals, or rays. Sometimes English chamomile varieties have no petals, bearing only yellow, buttonlike centers. When the flowers are dried for processing into teas and other preparations, the differences between the flowers are apparent. When sliced in half, the center receptacle, which bears the yellow true flowers, is solid in English chamomile and hollow in the white variety.

Garden Uses

• In the garden, both chamomiles make good additions to either traditional informal annual-and-perennial mixed planting schemes or dedicated herb gardens. The taller white chamomile is a middle-of-the-border plant, as opposed to English chamomile, which can be used as a rock garden, ground cover or edging plant. Both types are also suitable for pot culture. English chamomile can also be used as a filler between pavers or flagstones or as a fragrant herbal lawn, substituting (in low-traffic areas) for traditional lawn grasses.

Considerations

• Some people, especially those with a sensitivity to ragweed, should avoid consuming products made with white chamomile because they have occasionally caused allergic reactions. Both herbs are relatively easy to grow in full sun. English chamomile also tolerates some light shade. The plants self-seed and naturalize freely, especially the English type. To avoid aggressive spreading, remove flowers as they fade so that the plants cannot produce seed.