1. A chamomile plant, or also known as a Chamaemelum nobile is mainly used for herbal treatments for traditional medicine.
2. Reproduction
2.1. In a chamomile plant, it can either have a triploid (threefold) or a diploid (double) set of chromosomes
2.1.1. In general, sexual reproduction in chamomile (similar to a daisies) happens when insects leave their pollen in the stamen of a flower and the flower acts as a go-between for the unification between the male sperms and female ovum for the purpose of producing seeds.
2.1.2. Plants with the triploid form produce blooms that last longer and have a longer harvesting period than for example diploid.
2.1.3. Another advantage that the threefold has is most of the seeds produced would be sterile.
2.1.4. This slows down the reproductive cycle which in return means that the plant would not germinate in the following season. This means less chamomile has to be removed as a weed in subsequent years.
3. Artificial Propagation
3.1. Artificial propagation is a type of plant reproduction that involves human intervention. The main ones are cutting, layering, grafting, suckering, and tissue culturing.
3.1.1. Cutting: To propagate by cuttings, people usually first snip a healthy segment of the Chamomile, usually three to four inches from the tip is a good amount. Then they remove the leaves from the bottom half of the stem. It is recommended to use a root hormone because it increases the success rate of cuttings, though it is not needed. Then they dip the tip in rotenone (root hormone) and place it in pot containing fresh potting soil, and it is important to make sure the soil is moist. The cuttings may be kept covered with clear plastic to help retain moisture. The plants should take about three weeks to develop roots. When the cuttings become established, plant in the ground, including the potting soil and root ball.
3.1.2. Tissue culturing (micropropagation) is summary is a collection of techiniques that are used to maintain or grow plant cells, tissues or organs under sterile conditions on a nutrient culture medium of known composition. In a study conducted by Murashige and Skoog (1962) a medium supplemented with 1.0 to 4.5 M of BA and 1.0 M of NAA was put in a Roman Chamomile plant, (Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 2000). They studied the dynamics of growth of callus tissues on the basic growth medium, they found that it induced adventitious bud formation and shot development in leaf explants of Roman Chamomile.
4. Growing conditions
4.1. Chamomile thrives best in cool conditions and is commonly planted/found in part shade, but will also grow full sun. Here are some factors that affect plant growth:
4.1.1. Water: Chamomile is drought tolerant and only needs to be watered in times of prolonged drought, so it's best to allow the plant to somewhat dry out. Too much water can kill the plant. Healthy soil allows for oxygen to exist in the space between particles of soil, too much water limits oxygen supply and plants are not able to breathe.
4.1.2. Fertilizer: too much fertilizer will result in lots of weakly flavored foliage and few flowers.
4.1.3. Sunlight: Chamomile is grown in cool conditions, even if it's too hot it's common for it to be grown under the shade. But if it's exposed to too much sun, the molecules absorb more energy than they can handle and generate reactive species of oxygen that can destroy the plant.
4.2. How the three main plant hormones affect a chamomile plants growth:
4.2.1. Auxin is a plant hormone in plants that has the main duty of stimulating growth in the plant. It is involved in cell growth and cell expansion, so it is produced mainly in the areas of the plant that are actively growing like the stem (specifically, the very tiptop of the stem).
4.2.2. Gibberellin helps with seed germination, stem elongation, leaf expansion, trichome development, pollen maturation and the induction of flowering. The hormone helps increase inter‐node extension, increased leaf‐growth and enhanced apical dominance.
4.2.3. Cytokinin: Cytokinins are like the fountain of youth in plants. They help encourage cell division, this helps delay senescence or the natural aging process that leads to death in plants. In other Cytokinins also help with repairs. For example, If a plant becomes wounded, it can fix itself with the help of cytokinins and auxin.
5. Importance/use in Canadian Society
5.1. Chamomile has many uses and can be used in many forms. Such as a tea, or even an ointment.
5.1.1. Chamomile tea is basically a herbal infusion made from dried flowers and hot water. Chamomile is mostly used for hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain, and hemorrhoids. Essential oils of chamomile are used extensively in cosmetics and aromatherapy.
5.1.2. For example, research shows that chamomile has been considered as one of the herbal remedies for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A study was conducted to investigate the effect of chamomile on lipid and hormonal parameters in women of reproductive age with PCOS, (J Res Med Sci. 2018). They found that the chamomile consumption was effective and caused a significant decrease in total testosterone levels in women with PCOS (which is good).
5.1.3. Another example is how it helps with diabetes by suppressing enzymes that are linked to an increased risk of complications commonly associated with diabetes, such as vision, kidney and nerve damage.