Scentless chamomile is a cute white daisy like flower that seems about as harmful as a disney bunny. So is it possible that this small delicate weed is causing harm in our province?

The answer is yes. Found in all regions in BC this weed is of particular concern in the Okanagan, Peace River, and Thompson areas. All these areas include vast amounts of farm land and for farmer the scentless chamomile is of concern because it reduces the crop yields in hay fields, pastures, grain fields, and other cultivated crops.

So where did this plant come from? As a noticeable trend this plant is native to northern and central Europe, and was introduced to Canada to be ornamental.

Why is scentless chamomile such a growing problem?

  1. Many of the commonly used herbicides will not control this weed at crop tolerant rates.
  2. The plant may be a summer annual, winter annual or short-lived perennial. Weed control practices that control the summer annuals often do not kill the winter annuals.
  3. Scentless chamomile is a very prolific seed producer. A single plant can produce over a half million seeds. The seeds are easily dispersed by machinery, flowing water and drifting snow. Under the right conditions, seed can lie dormant in the soil for a decade or more.
  4. The plant’s dense, fibrous root system traps soil and moisture, enabling the weed to survive for some time after being uprooted. When the soil is moist, tillage often only transplants the weed.

This plant is a problem across the prairies as well but there is a man by the name Bowes who has spent time experimenting with bug control. He tried thee weevil but each tiny creature only ate about 11 seeds and compared to thee thousands produced it doesn’t prove effective. He has tried many others and is doing interesting research on the levels of effectiveness in killing the plants