The flower is good for use as a long-lasting cut flower. The plant will re-bloom in late summer if pruned.
The plant is economically important as a natural source of insecticide. The flowers are pulverized and the active components, a group of esters called pyrethrins (C21H28O3, or C22H28O5) contained in the seed cases, are extracted and sold in the form of an oleoresin. This is applied as a suspension in water or oil, or as a powder. Pyrethrins attack the nervous systems of all insects, and inhibit female mosquitoes from biting. When not present in amounts fatal to insects, they still appear to have a repellent effect. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides and are non-persistent, being biodegradable and also breaking down easily on exposure to light. They are considered to be amongst the safest insecticides for use around food.
Kenya produced 90% (over 6,000 tons) of the world's pyrethrum in 1998, but production in Tasmania is now increasing.
Pyrethroids are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum: an example of one is permethrin. A common formulation of pyrethrin is in preparations containing the synthetic chemical Piperonyl Butoxide: this has the effect of enhancing the toxicity to insects and speeding the effects when compared with pyrethrins used alone. These formulations are known as synergized pyrethrins
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