Anthemis cupaniana

Anthemis cupaniana

The Sicilian chamomile (Anthemis cupaniana Tod. ex Nyman, 1879) is a herbaceous species belonging to the Asteraceae family.

Systematics –
Domain Eukaryota,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Order Asterales,
Family Asteraceae,
Subfamily Asteroideae,
Tribe Anthemideae,
Genus Anthemis,
Species A. cupaniana.
The following terms are synonymous:
– Anthemis incana Guss.;
– Anthemis sicula Guss.;
– Anthemis montana L. subsp. cupaniana (Tod. ex Nyman) Arcang.;
– Anthemis punctata Vahl subsp. cupaniana (Tod. ex Nyman) R. Fern.

Etymology –
The genus name Anthemis derives from the Greek anthemís, a term already used by the Greek physician Dioscorides to refer to chamomile. The word originates from ánthemon, meaning “flower,” and recalls the rich and abundant flowering that characterizes these plants.
The specific epithet cupaniana, on the other hand, pays homage to the botanist and Franciscan friar Francesco Cupani (1657-1710), one of the most important scholars of Sicilian flora. At the end of the 17th century, Cupani created a renowned botanical garden in Misilmeri, near Palermo, on behalf of Prince Giuseppe Francesco Bonanno del Bosco, where he collected numerous wild, exotic, and medicinal species. In 1696, he published Hortus Catholicus, an innovative work that anticipated by several decades the binomial nomenclature later adopted by Linnaeus, who later named the genus Cupania after him.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Anthemis cupaniana is a species endemic to Sicily and represents one of the most characteristic elements of the island’s mountain flora. It grows wild, especially in the Madonie massif, where it colonizes rocky environments between 500 and 1,800 meters above sea level.
It prefers limestone cliffs and walls, scree slopes, and well-drained stony slopes, often in bright but cool locations. It is perfectly adapted to the Mediterranean mountain climate: it tolerates long periods of summer drought, is resistant to winter cold, and thrives in poor, limestone-rich soils.
In the plant communities of the Madonie, it grows alongside other Sicilian endemic species, contributing to the extraordinary floral richness of this area, recognized as one of the main biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean.

Description –
Anthemis cupaniana is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the Asteraceae family. It forms compact clumps from which numerous branched stems develop, generally between 10 and 60 centimeters tall, which exude a pleasant chamomile scent.
The foliage is one of the most decorative features of the species: the leaves, deeply divided into thin laciniae, resemble those of ferns and have a delicate grayish-green color tending towards silver. Over the years, the clumps can expand to form soft cushions almost a meter wide.
From late spring to summer, the plant is covered with numerous daisy-like flower heads, with a bright yellow central disc surrounded by pure white petals. Flowering is very abundant and often continues, albeit more sporadically, well into autumn.
The small fruits are whitish achenes, while the flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.

Cultivation –
Thanks to its hardiness, Anthemis cupaniana is one of the most popular ornamental species for rock and Mediterranean gardens. It prefers sunny locations and grows best in light, gravelly, or sandy soil, as long as it is well-drained. Once well-established, it requires very little watering and can easily withstand long periods of drought.
Cultivation is very limited: simply remove faded inflorescences and, after flowering, perform light pruning to maintain a compact clump and encourage new shoots. Propagation is easy by division of clumps or by seed.
Due to its reliability, long flowering, and low maintenance requirements, this species has been awarded the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society, a recognition given to the best ornamental plants.

Uses and Traditions –
Despite its intense scent reminiscent of common chamomile, Anthemis cupaniana is not among the species traditionally used in herbal medicine or in the preparation of infusions. Its value is primarily botanical, naturalistic, and landscape.
Being a species exclusive to Sicily, it represents an important symbol of the Madonie flora and contributes to the conservation of the island’s biodiversity. In gardens, it is prized primarily as an ornamental plant for its finely engraved foliage, silvery leaves, and abundant blooms, which attract numerous pollinating insects.

How to Prepare or Use –
Madonie Chamomile is used almost exclusively as an ornamental plant. It is particularly suitable for rock gardens, borders, slopes, and flowerbeds in full sun, where it forms elegant cushions of vegetation covered, during the summer, with a multitude of daisy-like flowers.
Although the foliage releases a pleasant chamomile aroma, there are no documented established traditional uses for food or medicinal purposes. For this reason, it is not recommended to prepare herbal teas or remedies with this species. Instead, it is recommended to use true medicinal chamomiles, such as Matricaria chamomilla or Chamaemelum nobile, whose use is well documented in tradition and scientific literature.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (eds.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy: Advice and Experiences with Medicinal Herbs, Ennsthaler Publishers.

Photo source:
– https://www.actaplantarum.org/galleria_flora/galleria1.php?id=4980

Warning: The pharmaceutical applications and dietary uses are provided for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute medical prescriptions. We therefore decline any responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic, or nutritional purposes.