White Field, Chapter 2

[atalanta]

I drove past the strange white field again today, and this time I stopped and tried to get to see what the crop was. Took ages to trek through the thistles ( in sandals, silly me) and shoulder-high weeds round a field of rape, to get to the hedge to see into the white field. Couldn't get much of a view, but what I could see looked like marguerites ( Argyanthemum frutescens, or so I am told) . Since marguerites grow more or less as freely as weeds round here, I can't imagine why anyone would grow them as a crop. There were hundreds of them growing as weeds in the field of rape, for instance. Do you think they were being grown just for seeds ? The white field was several acres in size. Any more ideas ?

[seadogg]

I guess it depends where you live. When the plants or their seeds are harvested, it's likely they have a commercial value in places where they do not grow naturally.

[Chipchopper]

I got to thinking, maybe its ox-eye daisy or perhaps chamomile for the perfume industry ?

[Rosetta]

chamomile is a much smaller flower than the ox eye daisy. maybe you are right, its for seed

[FredPuli43]

My first thought was that it was a field of potatoes; large white or whiteish flowers, yellow centre; but, if the flower has edges like marguerite, that is ruled out.

[rowanwitch]

possibly for pyrethrum for organic pesticides

[atalanta]

I have now done some research on Pyrethrum, and have found pictures of fields which do look very similar, but climate and soil needs seem tricky. Pyrethrum flourishes in Africa and Australia, so I wonder if an English field would suit it.