Pineapple Mayweed is a
non-native
annual plant of the UK, typically found growing in roadsides, cropland and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 30cm.
Pineapple Mayweed is named after the sweet pineapple scent of its crushed leaves and its pineapple-like composite flowerheads. The plant can also be identified by the absence of outer ray florets, its finely divided 'feathery' leaf shape and its green stems turning red towards the base. A native of Asia, Pineapple Mayweed was introduced into the UK in the eighteenth century, spreading rapidly from the nineteenth century onwards across the UK on tyre treads.
Botanic classification and naming: Pineapple Mayweed is a member of the Daisy (Asteraceae) family. The genus name
'Matricaria' identifies the plant as a Mayweed and its species name 'discoidea' means 'rayless flower disc '.
Benefits: Pollinated by bees and hoverflies.
Benefits to wildlife are also indicated with orange icons in the plant profile bar at the top.
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