FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Tripleurospermum maritimum - Matricaria maritima, Sea Mayweed, Baldursbrá

Tripleurospermum maritimum also known as Matricaria maritima; The Sea Mayweed is most common on waste places, especially in coastal regions, e.g. harbors. It can also grow on beeches that have been fertilized either by human activities or natural causes. The combination of finely dissected pinnate leaves and large daisy flowers with white ray flowers makes this plant easily identifiable. This mayweed has almost no scent.
This species was formerly known as Matricaria maritima. Triplospermum maritimum is a very variable species. Some botanists split it in two species while others define two subspecies. The main Iceland population is considered to belong to the subspecies phaeocephalum. Having said this though, other botanists believe that the lack of clear defining characteristrics make it impossible to even define varieties, let alone subspecies.
It is a member of the Asteraceae family (= Compositae ), the daisy family. The Icelandic name of this species is Baldursbrá.