Matricaria aurea, Golden Chamomile,
Hebrew: בבונג זהוב, Arabic: البابونج الذهبي

Scientific name:		Matricaria aurea (Loefl.) Svhultz Bip.
Scientific name:		Chamomilla aurea (Loefl.) Gay ex Cosson & Kralik
Common name:		Golden Chamomile
Hebrew name:		בבונג זהוב
Arabic name:		البابونج الذهبي
Family:		Compositae / Asteraceae, מורכבים

Life form:		Annual
Stems:		Up to 20 cm tall; branched; prostrate to erect, glabrous
Leaves:		Alternate, dissected once
Inflorescence:		Peduncles 0.5-2.5cm; capitula 1-60, 4-7mm in diameter; involucral bracts with a brown margin
Flowers:		Yellow tubular florets, 4-lobed
Fruits / pods:		cypsela oblong-ovoid, brownish, mildly 3-ribbed; pappus absent
Flowering Period:		February, March, April, May
Habitat:		Nutrient-rich soils, ruderal
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:		Med - Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name: Matricaria, Latin matrix, the womb; mater, mother; caries, decay; because of its one-time medical use in affections of the uterus. aurea, golden. Chamomilla, from the Latin chamaemelon, "chamomille or earth-apple," referring to the smell of the blossoms. The Hebrew name: בבונג, babunag‎ from arabic بَابُونِج‎ (babunag). The standard author abbreviation Loefl. is used to indicate Pehr Loefling (1729 – 1756), a Swedish botanist. The standard author abbreviation Schultz Bip. is used to indicate Carl Heinrich Schultz (1805 - 1867), Bipontinus, a Latinized reference to his birthplace, Zweibrücken. He was a German physician and botanist. The standard author abbreviation Gay is used to indicate Jaques Étienne Gay (1786 – 1864), a Swiss-French botanist, civil servant, collector and taxonomist. The standard author abbreviation Cosson is used to indicate Ernest Saint-Charles Cosson (1819 – 1889), a French botanist The standard author abbreviation Kralik is used to indicate Jean-Louis Kralik ( * 1813 - 1892 ), a French botanist. Inflorescence is used for making a tea for all stomach ailments. See the list of Medicinal herbs in Israel, the parts used and their medical uses to treat various diseases.