Oxeye Daisy

Oxeye daisy

Leucanthemum vulgare

Colorado List B - Eradication required in Jefferson County

Information Sheet (pdf)

General

• Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
• Found in pastures, meadows, roadsides and in waste areas
• Has been sold as an ornamental in the past
• Introduced from Europe
• It is also an agricultural weed in grain and hay

Habitat

• Colony-forming
• Herbaceous, short-lived perennial
• Tolerates poor soil and drought

Plant

Vegetation

• Leaves are 1.5 to 5.5 inches long, usually dark green with toothed edges
• Leaves get smaller toward top of stem
• Smelly when crushed
• Stems are generally smooth

Roots

• Fibrous roots and short rhizomes

Flower

• 1 to 2 inches across
• 20 to 30 white petals
• Season: June to early September
• Single at end of branches
• White with yellow center

Seed

• 1,300 to 4,000 seeds per plant (up to 26,000)
• Can remain dormant in soil for 39-plus years, most germinate within 6 years
• Seeds may germinate as soon as they are shed

Seedling

• Rosettes

Reproduction

• Seed and root fragments

Control

Biological

• None

Chemical

• View Information Sheet (PDF)

Cultural

• Cultivation
• Fertilization helps desirable grasses out-compete
• Prevention – maintain health of site
• Removal; make sure entire root is removed; must be repeated as new plants germinate

Mechanical

• Burning - Not effective
• Grazing - Goats, sheep and horses; cattle usually do not eat it (they will eat around the plants, allowing them in pastures)
• Mowing - Repeated mowing as soon as flowers appear

Use all chemicals according to the manufacturer's label. No specific recommendation or endorsement is made or implied by listing methods or products.