5 things to discover about the Oxeye Daisy
- torigillan
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Finches Lane Wild flower Florilegium of Britain and Ireland
Leucanthemum vilgare
5 things you might not know about the wild flower -
the Oxeye Daisy
The Oxeye Daisy is Britain and Ireland's largest member of the daisy family. The plant is related to the Chamomile, and its leaves and flowers are edible—traditionally, teas and salves were made from it, and the acrid-smelling older leaves were crushed to help repel fleas.
It's a tall flower that can grow up to 1 metre high.
The yellow centre is called a composite head, which is full of tiny flowers called florets, and the white petals are called ray florets that are attached to the yellow ones.
It grows mostly from creeping roots called rhizomes, but each flower can also produce over 1,000 seeds, which can stay dormant in the ground for 39 years!
The Oxeye Daisy is also called the Moon Daisy or the Moon Penny.
It never goes to sleep (close its petals at night) like the common daisy, so it gives the appearance of glowing in the moonlight.
In the UK and Ireland, we love seeing them, though they are regarded as invasive in other regions.Medieval Scots called them 'gools and had to pay extra tax if they had the most in their wheat field, as the flowers tainted the taste of cows' milk if eaten by the herd. One website I read said there used to be 'gool' riders that patrolled farming fields and fined those with the flowers in.
Curiously, pigs and cows avoid eating it, while sheep and goats consume it.
It is a crucial pollinator in Britain and Ireland.
Beetles and bees, particularly solitary bees such as the charmingly named Patchwork Leafcutter Bee.
If youulike Oxey e daisies like I do, check out the Oxeye daisy patterns in the Summer Flowers Collection at our shops, at the moment we have wallpaper, fabrics and home wares..
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