There are about 200 species of daisy worldwide. The ox-eye daisy originated in Europe and northern Asia, and is now naturalised as a weed in North America, India, Japan, Australia and other parts of the world. It may be grown for its beautiful flowers, but it is also a plague on pastures and crop fields across Europe.
The ox-eye daisy is a short-lived, rhizomatous perennial, growing erect, 0.6m to 1m in height. The leaves are dark and deeply lobed. The lower leaves are spoon-shaped and stalked; the upper are narrower and stalkless, or clasping the stem.
The composite flowers are borne at the ends of stems and consist of a central, depressed, yellow disk, 10 to 20mm wide, surrounded by petal-like, white, ray flowers, 1 to 2cm long. The ox-eye daisy flowers from June to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects. The plant is self-fertilising. It also reproduces vegetatively, with spreading rootstalks.
A vigorous daisy can produce 26 000 seeds, while even smaller specimens produce 1 300 to 4 000. Tests have shown that 82% of buried seeds remained viable after six years, and 1% were still viable after 39 years.
The flowers have escaped cultivation and now crowd out other plants on many rangelands. Other common sites are meadows and roadsides.
The ox-eye daisy’s leaves and flowers are edible. Tea is made from the plant, and it is also used as a herbal medication.
The ox-eye daisy and other Chrysanthemum plants contain sesquiterpene lactone, a strong inducer of allergic contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis associated with photosensitivity. (1)
