Oxeye daisy
About
Latin Name: Leucanthemum vulgare
Origin: Eurasia
Physical Description: it is a perennial herb from a creeping rhizome. Stems extend up to 1m tall and are erect, smooth to slightly hairy, and have a sage-like odour. Basal leaves alternate, egg-shaped to spoon-shaped, stalked, toothed, and 4-15 cm long; stem leaves are reduced, becoming un-stalked, more narrow and jagged. It has recognizable large white solitary flowers with white ray flowers and a bright yellow center. Its main roots are creeping, shallow, and extensive.
Habitat: it tolerates a range of soil types and can grow in sun or partial shade. It can commonly be found growing in infertile pastures, rangelands, fields, meadows and waste areas, dry roadsides, and other disturbed sites.
Impacts: it form dense populations and reduces biodiversity and available forage for grazing livestock and wildlife. Due to its growth form it can decrease vegetative ground cover, thereby increasing the area of exposed soil on site. In farmlands and pastures it can decrease crop yield.
Reproduction: it reproduces by seed and vegetatively. An individual flower head can produce up to 200 seeds, and a single plant can produce up to 26,000 seeds. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 40 years. It also reproduces via underground rhizomes; roots seasonally develop new shoots, and root fragments can regenerate into new plants.
Management Options
Mechanical: mowing before seed production will reduce the number of seeds but can stimulate vegetative growth. Pulling or digging small infestations is an effective removal method if the entire root system is removed. Grazing by sheep or goats may also reduce populations. Repeated cultivation at a depth of 15cm in the summer, followed by repeated shallow cultivations can help control patches.
Chemical: several herbicides with the following active ingredients can control oxeye daisy: glyphosate, 2,4-D, aminopyralid, clopyralid, picloram, dicamba, triclopyr, metsulfuron. For available products, contact your local agri-supply store. Prior to any herbicide application, read and follow the label instructions.
Biological: None available.
Note: Take caution when purchasing wildflower mixes, as oxeye daisy may be present.
Resources:
