Oxeye Daisy

Oxeye daisy leaf.
Oxeye daisy habitat.
Oxeye daisy flower.
Oxeye daisy flowers.
Oxeye daisy flowers near base of fence.

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


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.

Treatment Timeline


JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDec
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Removal











Herbicide











Growth











Vegetative











Flowering











Seed