Ox-Eye Daisy

“Daisy! again I talk to thee,/For thou art worthy,/Thou unassuming Common-place/Of Nature, with that homely face,/ And yet with something of a grace,/ Which Love makes for thee!” –To the Daisy, William Wordsworth

Scientific Name:  Leucanthemum vulgare
Common Name: Common Daisy, Moon Daisy, Bruise Wort
Plant Family: Asteraceae  or Compositae

Etymology: From the Old English for “day’s eye,” the name daisy refers to the tendency of English daisies (Bellis perennis) to close up at night; Leucanthemum vulgare, however, stays open at night, earning it the common name of moon daisy. Oxeye means “white flower,” leucanthemum having the Greek leucomo for “white.”

Traditional Uses

Oxeye daisy is used medically for treating asthma, whooping cough, and other types of coughs. In England, the leaves were traditionally used in a poultice for healing bruises, earning the plant the common name “bruise wort.” The entire plant has antispasmodic, diaphoretic, and diuretic, among other treatment properties. Distilled water made from daisy flowers can be used to treat conjunctivitis, and dried flowers and stems can minimize symptoms of dry skin.

Edible Parts

While the greens may be consumed in moderate amounts, consuming the center of the daisy can cause indigestion and sickness. The leaves likely contain high amounts of vitamins A and C, riboflavin, niacin, and potassium, and both the leaves and petals are a source of beta-carotene.

Gathering and Using

While they have medicinal and edible properties, oxeye daisies are primarily known for their aesthetic rather than functional purposes. Daisy leaves and flowers can cause skin irritation/contact dermatitis with too much handling. The leaves contain sesquiterpene lactones, which have toxic principles.

Permaculture Functions and Considerations 

A perennial that tends to spread over time and grows commonly on roadsides, daisies are able to thrive in marginalized areas of a garden space as border plants. Daisies attract a variety of pollinators to a landscape. While they are low-maintenance, deadheading (or cutting off the dead blooms) encourages more growth and provides a cathartic gardening practice in the repetitive, non-technical, satisfying act of snipping off blackened flowers.

Habitat

Oxeye daisies prefer fields, meadows and other grassy places with moist, rich soil.

How to Identify

Oxeye daisies are easily identified by their characteristic yellow, perfect-circle centers surrounded by a fan of thin, white, round-tipped petals. Leucanthemum look as if a little yellow face with a white ruffle collar.

Wildlife Support

The strong, acrid moisture smell exuded by the plant is unattractive to many instects, while the prominent flower attracts a variety of pollinators.

Literary Significance/Symbolism

Due to their white color, their abundance in wild fields, and their bright appearance, daisies are known to represent childlike innocence and purity, and are used often as metaphors for such in women. Daisies are often associated with youthful memories and a strong sense of nostalgic awe for roaming in Nature as a child.

Additional Information

• Daisy Mae- Leon Bridges
• The yellow “eye” of the daisy is made up of a cluster of hundreds of tiny florets, making it a composite flower

Web Sources

• Plants for a Future
• Eat Weeds
• University of Idaho Weeds.
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• Old Farmer's Almanac
• NC State Extension Gardener
• Internet Archive