Species of the day: Ox-eye Daisy

By James Duncan

Learning & Engagement Officer

From late spring, the beautiful blooms of the humble Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) transform grassy areas into magical carpets of vivid white and gold. Members of the Daisy family are quite likely to be the very first flowers recognised in early life - though a common native species it's hard not to appreciate the ox-eye's simple splash of colour along roadsides, embankments and scrubby edges. It's a hardy perennial, a characteristic plant of poor-quality, degraded soils and may be found in habitats ranging from churchyards to sea cliffs. Known alternatively as 'moon' and 'field' daisy, it belongs to one of the very largest families of flowering plants, the Asteraceae or 'Composite' family - this is only rivalled in size by the Orchid family. Though the flowers are similar to the typical Daisy (Bellis perennis), they're easily distinguished for the flowers of ox-eye are almost triple the size.   

Many of the plant's common names relate to its obvious resemblance to that of an eye. In fact, the very naming of 'daisy' arises from 'day's eye', suggesting the opening of the flowers in daylight and closure at night. Its 'moon daisy' moniker may stem from its perceived ability to glow vividly on bright summer evenings, and both of these provide the likely origin for the common phrase "fresh as a daisy." The scientific name translates quite simply to 'common white flower.' Love divination has always had strong, traditional associations with both the Ox-eye and typical Daisy, displayed in modern times through the game 'he loves me, he loves me not.' Interestingly, the 'flower' of the ox-eye is in a fact a large number of individual flowers known as florets. Each head has a number of yellow 'disc florets', which have no petals, contain both male and female parts and do the job of both receiving pollination and producing seed. The ring of white 'ray florets' serve as an attractant to enhance pollination, but produce no seed. When they do bear seed, it's truly on an epic scale for one plant may produce tens of thousands, helping them to spread far and wide.

The Ox-eye Daisy is also responsible for the creation of vast quantities of pollen - studies have shown it to be one of the highest-ranked producers within British wildflower meadows. Indeed, they really are an iconic species of our ravaged meadows, a habitat that's dramatically declined by 97% since the end of the second world war. The Ox-eye Daisy makes a grand floral statement like few others, its easy-growing nature making it one of the first to re-colonise. It's very much the 'bread and butter' of the wildflower meadow, the staple of natural re-generation. Of course, ultimately it's a diversity of plant communities that are the most desirable, avoiding the uniformity that's now such a common sight in our countryside. This doesn't alter the fact that Ox-eye Daisy is a simply superb source of pollen and nectar, perhaps one of the most important of all. It serves a pivotal ecological function, utilised by a plethora of invertebrates including beetles, bees, ants, butterflies, moths, flies and many more, all of whom can take advantage of its substantial yellow 'landing-pad.'

Ox-eye Daisy © James Duncan