Author: navidcod 
Matricaria aurea (Loefl.)
Mohammad Ali Alizadeh, Parvin Salehi Shanjani, Leila Falah Hoseini and Mohammad Reza Pahlevani
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at August 2021
Scientific editors: Valiollah Mozaffarian and Masoumeh Izadpanah
Seed Storage
The storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds); dry to 15-20% ERH and store at -20 °C.
Germination requirements
The seeds of this species have non-deep dormancy. Sterilize seeds before placing them on wet germination paper. Place seeds 14 days in 4 ºC for breaking dormancy. Then germinate under an alternating temperature regime of 15/20 ºC (the higher temperature for 16 hours in light and the lower one for eight hours in dark).
Morphology
Fruit type: Achene
Fruit shape: Oblong, slightly bent, longer dorsal side convex, smooth, shorter ventral side with 3 ribs, apex truncate, surface glabrous, farinose, whitish brown.
Fruit size: Length: 0.8 to 1 mm, width: 0.3 to 0.5 mm in an accession from Arak, Markazi with 1000 seed weight 0.1 g, which was collected in 2003 by Abdi, and the cultivated sample was identified by S. Reza Safavi and Vlieollah Mozafarian with accession number 15262.
1000 seed weight: 0.3 g
Biological features
Life form: Herbaceous, annual
Inflorescences, flower type, and pollination mechanisms: Inflorescences capitate, with a long conical receptacle, with peduncle. All flowers tubular, yellow; lateral flowers few, female, central flowers hermaphrodite, tetradentate in apex. Plant monoecious, cross-pollinate, in failure of cross-pollination, self-pollination may take place. Pollination is carried out by insects and wind.
Time of flowering: Early Spring
Time of seed ripening: Early summer (end of Jun)
Seed dispersal methods: The agent of seed distribution is seed weight.
Geographical distribution: Europe, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus, Central Asia, Pakistan, Siberia, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and North of Africa. Typus from Spain.
Geographical distribution in Iran: North, West, and South. Golestan, Ilam, Fars, Khuzestan Bushehr, and Tehran.
Taxonomy
Family: Compositae
Genus: Matricaria
Species: aurea
Persian name: Babuneh eropaie zard
References
Black, M. and Bewley, J.D. 2000. Seed technology and its biological basis. Sheffield Academic Press, Pp 1-419.
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian Mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 1046 pp.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with University of Tehran Puplication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Mozaffarian, V. 2012. A Pictorial Dictionary of Botany. Farhange Moaser publisher, 1088 pp.
Mozaffarian, V. 2008. Flora of Iran, Asteraceae (Compositae): Tribes Anthemideae and Echinopeae. Institute of Forests and Rangelands Press, First edition, 59: 21-22.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian Plants Names. Moaser Publisher, Tehran Farhang, 671 pp.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 pp.
