Oxeye daisy is a perennial with white-and-yellow flowers, found in fields, roadsides, and other open ground in many parts of the United States. Introduced from Eurasia, it is an invasive weed that spreads by seed and underground stems, forming dense patches.
Appearance
- Growth form
- This upright perennial grows about 1–3 ft (0.3–0.9 m) tall.
- Leaves
- Leaves near the ground are dark green, spoon-shaped, and toothed; leaves higher on the stem are smaller and nearly stalkless.
- Flowers
- Each 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) head has white around a yellow disk and usually stands alone at a stem tip.
- Flowering time
- In North Carolina, it blooms from May through August.
Look-alikes
lawn daisyBellis perennis
Lawn daisy keeps its leaves in a low cluster and has leafless flower stalks. Oxeye daisy has leaves along its taller flowering stem.
Why they get mixed upBoth have white ray flowers around a yellow center.
margueriteArgyranthemum frutescens
Marguerite has finely divided leaves. Oxeye daisy has spoon-shaped leaves near the ground with toothed edges.
Why they get mixed upBoth can have white daisy-like flowers with yellow centers.
| Leaves on flower stalk | Leaf shape | |
|---|---|---|
| oxeye daisy | Present | Lower leaves are spoon-shaped |
| lawn daisy | Absent | Leaves cluster near the ground |
| marguerite | Present | Leaves are finely divided |
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- roadsides
- pastures and meadows
- disturbed open ground
- Range
- Native to Eurasia, it is now widespread in disturbed habitats across many U.S. states. Many areas treat it as an invasive weed.
- Preferred conditions
- It grows in full sun to partial shade and tolerates moist to dry, well-drained soil.
- Flowering
Flowers May–Aug
Flowers May–Aug
Life cycle
- Seed dispersal
- Numerous seeds help it move into new disturbed ground.
Growing it
- Propagation
- It spreads by seed and by short , so a single patch can widen in more than one way.
Name and classification
- About the name
- It was also called Chrysanthemum leucanthemum.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
- Threats
- Dense patches can crowd out native wildflowers and reduce plant diversity in meadows and pastures.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- It was brought to the United States as an ornamental and later escaped cultivation.
18 sources
- iNaturalist taxon API: Leucanthemum vulgare
- GBIF Species Match: Chrysanthemum leucanthemum
- 농촌진흥청 국가농작물병해충관리시스템: 데이지
- 국가 생물다양성 정보공유체계: 불란서국화
- 北海道: 外来植物 フランスギク
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Leucanthemum vulgare
- Woodland Trust: Oxeye daisy
- North Carolina Extension: Bellis perennis
- Royal Horticultural Society: Argyranthemum frutescens
- 環境省: 外来種リスト根拠情報 フランスギク
- Kew POWO: Leucanthemum vulgare
- 국립생태원: 호수공원 식물 목록
- 농촌진흥청 국립원예특작과학원: 옥스아이데이지
- すがれおい第4号: タイセツヒメハナバチの生態についての若干の観察
- 環境省請負事業: 知床国立公園及びその周辺部 セイヨウオオマルハナバチ生息状況監視・防除体制構築業務報告書
- 環境省: 我が国の生態系等に被害を及ぼすおそれのある外来種リスト（最終版）
- U.S. National Park Service: Invasive Plants in Yellowstone
- U.S. Forest Service: Nonnative Invasive Plants of Pacific Coast Forests