tansy (redirected from golden buttons)

tansy (tăn`zē), perennial herb (Tanacetum vulgare) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), native to Europe but naturalized in North America. It was long cultivated for its ornamental foliage and clusters of yellow, buttonlike flowers; it was often used in old-fashioned dishes, such as tansy cakes and puddings, which were eaten in the spring, especially at Easter time, either in memory of the bitter herbs of the Jewish Passover or as a sort of tonic after the Lenten season. Tansy tea was formerly a household medicine and is still used as an anthelmintic and in the treatment of external bruises and inflammations. Tansy is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.

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tansy

Any of about 50 species of strong-smelling, poisonous herbs, especially common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare, or Chrysanthemum vulgare), of the composite family, native to the northern temperate zone. T. vulgare has button-shaped yellow flower heads of disk flowers (no ray flowers) that are arranged in a flat-topped cluster, deeply cut leaves, and many stems. It is sometimes cultivated in herb gardens and was formerly used in medicines and insecticides. See also chrysanthemum.

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tansy

1. any of numerous plants of the genus Tanacetum, esp T. vulgare, having yellow flowers in flat-topped clusters and formerly used in medicine and for seasoning: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. any of various similar plants