Tansy
Description:
Herbs, perennial, 30-150 cm tall, from creeping, ± branched rhizome; stems solitary or clustered, erect, upper part corymbosely branched, usually glabrous. Basal stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade elliptic or elliptic-ovate, ca. 20 × 8-10 cm, 2-pinnatisect, both surfaces green or pale green; primary lateral segments to 12-paired; ultimate segments ovate, obliquely triangular, or narrowly elliptic; middle and upper stem leaves similar, sessile. Synflorescence a ± dense flat-topped panicle. Capitula (5-)10-70(-100), heterogamous, disciform. Involucre campanulate, 5-13 mm in diam.; phyllaries in 3 rows, scarious margin narrow, white or brown, outer phyllaries ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 mm; middle and inner ones lanceolate, 3-4 mm. All florets yellow, tubular; outer ones female, disk florets bisexual; corolla 1.5-2.4 mm. Achenes 1.2-2 mm. Corona 0.1-0.4 mm, margin dentate. Fl. and fr. Jun-Aug. 2n = 18, 18 + 2B.
Tanacetum vulgare L.
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Tanacetum vulgare L.
Other common names: Common Tansy
Vernacular name(s): tansy
Scientific family name: Asteraceae
Vernacular family name: composite
Geographic Information
Mountain slopes, grasslands, floodlands, meadows, meadowy steppes, hills, forest understories; 200-2400 m. Heilongjiang, Nei Mongol, Xinjiang [Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan; Europe, North America].
British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.
Notes on Poisonous plant parts:
All parts of the plant have a strong scent and contain a bitter essential oil that can be toxic (Fuller and McClintock 1986).
Toxic parts:
All parts, flowers, leaves.
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
Symptoms
Rapid, weak pulse, stomach pain, convulsions.
Edibility
EDIBLE PARTS: Young leaves and flowers HARVEST TIME: Only collect leaves and flowers from areas you know have NOT been treated with pesticides. Collect the young leaves in the spring, flowers in the summer. SAFE HANDLING PROCEDURES: Soak young leaves and flowers in warm water to remove dirt and debris. Do not use dish detergent or any type of sanitizer. These products can leave a residue. Use fresh as a substitute for sage. SOURCE: Crowhurst, A. 1972. The Weed Cookbook. Lancer Books, Inc. New York, 190 pp.
Toxic Principle
Thujone.
Severity
TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN.
