Leaf
Michel Langeveld, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tansy
Tanacetum vulgare L.
Also known as: Common tansy, Golden buttons
Family: Asteraceae
50 cm to 1.2 m
Banks, waste ground, waysides
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Flowers in small flat yellow buttons, like coat buttons, with no petals at all.
🍃 Leaves
Deeply cut, fern-like, strongly aromatic when crushed
🌸 Flowers
Small flat, dense yellow buttons, with no visible petals, in a corymb
🍎 Fruits
Tiny achenes
🪵 Bark
Sturdy, upright herbaceous stem
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, temperate Asia; common in France on banks and waysides
🐝 Value for pollinators
Yellow flower heads in flat buttons very rich in nectar, valued by bees and butterflies in late summer
✂️ Horticultural uses
Grown in country-style borders and sometimes used as a natural insect repellent in the garden
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Plant toxic if eaten in large amounts (thujone), especially the essential oil; traditional external use only, to be avoided by pregnant women
🌿 Other Asteraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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