Pyrethrum
Family Compositae (or Asteraceae)
Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium (= Pyrethrum cinerariaefolium), pyrethrum (C. cinerariaefolium 1), is a perennial herb, 30-60 cm high, with alternate pinnate leaves. Flower heads 3-5 cm in diameter, borne singly on slender stems, with white ray florets and central yellow disc florets (Medicinal plants 1).
Use
The plant is cultivated for the natural insecticide that is obtained from dried flower heads (C. cinerariaefolium 2). The plant grows wild on the Dalmatian coast and has been introduced into several countries of which Kenya became the most important pyrethrum producer. Applied in a spray pyrethrum was found to be very effective against flies, mosquitoes and other insects, with little or no effect on mammals. The insecticide effect is due to pyrethrins, which are concentrated in the ovaries of the florets.