Genetic, chemical and morphological variability of chamomile (Chamomilla recutita L.) populations of Latvia

Chamomilla recutita is a cross-pollinating medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine both in Latvia and globally. In this study, we evaluated the genetic and morphological diversity as well as the chemical profiles of plants collected from semi-wild populations in Latvia as well as various varieties found in Central Europe. All samples were characterized with high quality, reaching thresholds of European Pharmacopoeia for essential oil content and apeginin-7 glucoside. The samples that were collected in Latvia were characterized by high levels of bisabolol oxide A. The collected samples were characterized by using morphological descriptors and molecular markers (RAPD) and showed large within and among accession diversity thus indicating variability potential for future selection. The hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that samples collected in Latvia are not distinct from foreign clusters, thus they do not form distinct branches as they have overlapping qualities and similar origins.