Leucanthemum vulgare, July 13, 2020
L. vulgare, July 28, 2020
Common & scientific name
Oxeye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Roadside everywhere up to 11,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
YES, they’re pretty, YES, they’re cheery, YES, you may stop, look, and enjoy them. Then do your part for our native wildflowers and pull them! Oxeyes are a highly invasive perennial that LOVE disturbed places like roadsides—even a fresh layer of asphalt won’t dissuade them! A single plant can produce up to 200 seeds per flowering head, sitting atop up to 40 flowering stems per plant—that leads to a ginormous seed bank. Leucanthemum vulgare is native to Europe and was introduced into the United States as an ornamental in the 1800s. In 2020, it is the bane of Independence Pass.
NOTE: please make sure you are pulling oxeyes and not one of our many native daisies. The involucre (underneath the flower head, shown left) is diagnostic, as are the slender, lobed leaves (photo coming) and white ray florets (petals).
L. vulgare at 12,085 feet!