Tanacetum balsamita L.
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Tanacetum balsamita

Family: ASTERACEAE
Genus: Tanacetum
Species: balsamita L.
Common names: Costmary: Alecost
Pharmacopoeia Londinensis name: Balsamita
Distribution summary: S.Europe, S.W.Asia
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: H5 - Hardy; cold winter
Garden status: Currently grown
Garden location: Pharmacopoeia Londinensis 1618 'Leaves' (HSE 6B), Classical Europe & Middle East (M)
Flowering months: September, October
Reason for growing: Medicinal, other use

Additional Notes

Tanacetum balsamita subsp. balsamitoides and Balsamita major are synonyms.

The Plant List (2010). Version 1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org

Used as a substitute for Costus root - which in the 19th century was Costus arabicus - because of the scarcity of Costus arabicus.

Hill, John. History of the Materia Medica (1751) page 623-4

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iran

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iraq

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Turkey

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