Last edited by shiny on 10 Nov 2026. View history
Roman Chamomile
A variety of chamomile
How to sow Roman chamomile: Direct seed shallowly - seeds require light for germination
Sun requirement for Roman chamomile: Plant in Full Sun
Roman or English Chamomile is a perennial plant with daisy-like flowers. It is in the Daisy family (Asteraceae) along with German/Common Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and the two plants have similar apple-scented flowers, but they are in separate genera. Roman Chamomile is shorter than German Chamomile, growing to heights of 10-30cm, and produces smaller flowers that are 1-3cm in diameter. It has hairy stems and is more sprawling and bushy than German Chamomile. It can be used as a ground cover. It's essential oil is pale yellow to clear whereas German Chamomile's essential oil is dark blue. Chamomile attracts pollinators and beneficial insects like ladybugs and hoverflies (which eat aphids and mites).
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Roman chamomile facts
Lifespan
Height × spread
30cm × 30cmRow Spacing
30cmCrop cycle
Max altitude
Optimal light
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For Roman chamomile, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 3°C and a shortest growing cycle of 180 days at its best temperature, about 3150 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your Roman chamomile will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Photos
PhotosRoman chamomile crops
Video
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Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Anthemis nobilis (L.) All.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Asterales Compositae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -10 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | perennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | shallow (20-50 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | long day (>14 hours) |
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