Reply To: Materia Medica

[Benna Keoghoe | Registered Herbal Therapist]

Hi Debbie,

Pineapple weed and wild chamomile are two different plants, although this highlights the problem with common names. Some folka might call pineapple weed ‘wild chamomile’.
Pineapple weed or Matricaria discoidea does not have any white ‘ray petals’ but is just the yellow cluster of flowers. It also has the smell of pineapple and chamomile, while the other ‘wild chamomile’ does not really smell of either. Pineapple weed only grows to maayyybe a foot high if it’s doing very well.
The 3 foot plants in your driveway sound like daisies or another plant in the same family that is sometimes called ‘wild chamomile’ neither have the same qualities of chamomile, like pineapple weed.

Here is a link to photos of pineapple weed:https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-plants/pineapple-weed/
The biggest giveaway is the scent and taste: pineapply chamomile. 🙂

All the best,
Benna