Matricaria perforata
Encyclopedia
Tripleurospermum inodorum is the type species
of Tripleurospermum
.
Historically included the genus Matricaria, Tripleurospermum inodorum has been the subject of some controversy, with many revisions in recent years. The Flora Europaea
uses Matricaria perforata for this species. Synonyms/other scientific names include Tripleurospermum perforatum (Mérat) Lainz, Tripleurospermum maritimum subsp. inodorum.
Common name(s): scentless mayweed, scentless chamomile, wild chamomile, mayweed, false chamomile, German chamomile, Baldr's Brow
Origin Eurasia, North Africa
Considered an invasive weed in North America
and Norway
, it is called Baldr's brow, but in Iceland
, it is the close relative Sea Mayweed (Matricaria maritima) that carries this name. In Gylfaginning
, Snorri Sturluson
explains that the name Balder's brow comes from the plants' whiteness:
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Tripleurospermum
Tripleurospermum
Tripleurospermum is a genus in the family Asteraceae in the tribe Anthemideae. The classification of the 38 annual and herbaceous perennial species is problematic. Most of the species are from Europe and temperate Asia although a few are from North America and North Africa. The species are placed...
.
Historically included the genus Matricaria, Tripleurospermum inodorum has been the subject of some controversy, with many revisions in recent years. The Flora Europaea
Flora Europaea
The Flora Europaea is a 5-volume encyclopedia of plants, published between 1964 and 1993 by Cambridge University Press. The aim was to describe all the national Floras of Europe in a single, authoritative publication that helped readers identify any wild or widely cultivated plant in Europe to the...
uses Matricaria perforata for this species. Synonyms/other scientific names include Tripleurospermum perforatum (Mérat) Lainz, Tripleurospermum maritimum subsp. inodorum.
Common name(s): scentless mayweed, scentless chamomile, wild chamomile, mayweed, false chamomile, German chamomile, Baldr's Brow
Origin Eurasia, North Africa
Considered an invasive weed in North America
Mythology
In SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, it is called Baldr's brow, but in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, it is the close relative Sea Mayweed (Matricaria maritima) that carries this name. In Gylfaginning
Gylfaginning
Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
, Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
explains that the name Balder's brow comes from the plants' whiteness:
|
Odin Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz".... is Baldr, and good things are to be said of him. He is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him. A certain herb is so white that it is likened to Baldr's brow; of all grasses it is whitest, and by it thou mayest judge his fairness, both in hair and in body. He is the wisest of the Æsir Æsir In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir... , and the fairest-spoken and most gracious; and that quality attends him, that none may gainsay his judgments. He dwells in the place called Breidablik Breidablik In Norse mythology, Breiðablik is the home of Baldr. It is briefly described in Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning as one of the halls of Asgard:... , which is in heaven; in that place may nothing unclean be[.] |