Ox-Eye Daisy, Dog Daisy, Field Daisy, Marguerite, Moon Daisy, Moon-Penny, Poor-Land Penny, Poverty Daisy, White Daisy
Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. is the correct and accepted scientific name for this species of Leucanthemum. It was named and described as such by Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck in Flore Françoise in 1779.
The genus, Leucanthemum Mill., was named and described as such by Philip Miller in the fourth edition of The Gardeners Dictionary in 1754.
Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 48 species in the genus (as of 2-24-20 when I am updating this page). It is a member of the Asteraceae Family with 1,763 genera. Those numbers could change.
The above distribution map of Leucanthemum vulgare from Plants of the World Online shows its wide range. Areas in green show where the species is native and purple where it has been introduced. The USDA Plants Database map for this species was not working when I looked but maybe it will be later.
There are several links at the bottom of the page for further reading and to help make a positive ID.
The flowers consist of 15-35 ray florets, which most people call petals, and are usually 1 1/4”-2” in diameter. The petals have toothed ends but you can see that in the above photo. Maybe I can get a close-up at some point. The center of the flower consists of who knows how many disc flowers which, of course, are yellow. The yellow corollas are 5-lobed. Check out Missouri Plants and you can see a close-up of the disc.
Fowers can produce up to 200 seeds each and plants as many as 26,000 seeds that can remain viable for up to 40 years!
The stems of Leucanthemum vulgare are generally glabrous (not hairy) but sometimes slightly hairy. GEEZ! Branching occurs mainly from the base of the plant where there are usually a lot of leaves.
The shape of the leaves is called “oblanceolate” (lanceolate with the more pointed end at the base) or “spatulate” (broad at the base). I wonder why they don’t call them “spathulate” (broad at the tip (apex) and tapered toward the base)? Lower and basal leaves have kind of long petioles (stem between the main stem and base of the leaf) while the upper leaves are sessile (no petioles) and may even tend to clasp the main stem. The leaves are deeply serrated, sometimes cut nearly to the midrib and are hairless.
If allowed to spread, Leucanthemum vulgare will reduce the amount of quality grazing land. In natural habitats, it can invade and displace colonies of natural species. Studies have also shown that Leucanthemum vulgare carries several crop diseases.
Leucanthemum vulgare is fairly popular as an ornamental perennial plant in flower beds and wildflower gardens. There are several cultivars available. It will grow well in full sun to part shade and prefers a fairly moist environment.
I photographed the Leucanthemum vulgare at a friend’s farm in Johnson County. Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri doesn’t list them in Johnson County, but indeed they are there. Hopefully, I will find this colony again in 2020 and may even bring a few to my farm. I live on a small farm in Windsor, Missouri (the city limits is across the street and on the north and south side). I am in Pettis County but Henry is across the street and Benton and Johnson Counties aren’t far away.
I have enjoyed photographing and learning about the many wildflowers growing on the farm and other areas. I have grown over 500 different plants and most have pages listed on the right side of the blog. I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a horticulturalist I contact if I cannot figure them out. The iNaturalist website also has a great drag-and-drop way to identify wildflowers, brds, insects, etc. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.
I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. Some databases may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. They were written by experts and provide much more information. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at firstname.lastname@example.org. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you find something is a bit whacky (like the links below not working).