160
Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All.
The Scarce Plants of Essex. Part 2.
Chamomile
Essex status: Former native or long established alien, now only casual.
In Gibson's day, Chamomile was a common and in places abundant plant on sandy grazed Essex
heathland, and was plentiful enough to be collected by chemists from Galleywood Common. It was
also used as a lawn plant from as early as Tudor times, particularly on dry soils, remaining green
throughout the dry summer. When heavily grazed it adopts a close-knit prostate non-flowering habit. It
may therefore be an early introduction to this country. With the cessation of grazing, it has disappeared
from our heathlands and its sensitivity to herbicides has eliminated it on arable land. Not only has it
gone from Essex, nationally it has also vanished from 165 hectads, and is now only recorded from 96
post 1970 squares, virtually all of them south of the Severn-Wash line. It needs an open habitat with
grazing or trampling to keep down the competition from other herbs and grasses, and seems to like
gleyed soils that are waterlogged in winter (Wiggington 1999). Its disappearance from central and
eastern England is so complete and dramatic, however, that bearing in mind that it only occurs as far
north as Belgium on the continent, some other factor, possibly climatic, may be the principal reason for
its demise.
Post 1930 records:
TQ(51)38
TL(52)60
TL(52)92
TM(62)01
TM(62)11
64,01
638,002
12,15
19
Leytonstone, old garden lawn. Essex Naturalist (1933) 24: 244.
On Mill Green, small patch 1962. S T Jermyn.
Fryerning churchyard, sandy ground, 1999 Graham Smith.
Berechurch Common, 1954. S T Jermyn.
East Mersea, on shingle by seawall, 1964 Eric Saunders.
St Osyth Priory, lawn. 1962. S T Jermyn.
19
Pre 1930 records:
'Gravelly and sandy commons and fields' (Gibson, 1862).
TQ(51)38
TQ(51)38/39
Powell.
TQ(51)39/49
TQ(51)48
TL(52)50
TL(52)51
TQ(51)68
Stratford, J Freeman
Leytonsone. W L P Garnons
Walthamstow, grassy spots near and other places [on Epping ForestJ, J T
Essex Naturalist (1982) 6: 5.
Epping Forest, many places. Ezekiel Varenne.
Between Ilford & Bentley. Edward Forster
Fyfield, Octavius Corder.
Hatfield Heath, Daniel Sweeting French.
Langdon Common, Horatio Piggot
Brentwood Common, Henry Ibbotson
Warley & South Weald. William M Hind
Oxney Green, Writtle, Horatio Piggot
Galleywood Common, Arthur Wallis
Dunmow Common, George Gibson
Danbury, Thomas Benson
Tiptree Heath, Ezekiel Varenne
Totham, Ezekiel Varenne
TL(52)60
TL(52)60/70
TL(52)62
TL(52)70
TL(52)81
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)