Oxeye Daisy
How To ID Me And What I’m Good For?
My ID Features:
Flowers
Leaves
Flower bud
In situ
Oxeye daisy
Latin Name - Leucanthemum vulgare.
Common Names - Oxeye daisy, Dog Daisy, Marguerit.
Family - Asteraceae.
Season - Spring & summer.
Edible bits - Leaves & flowers.
Habitat - Verges, hedgerows, meadows & wasteland.
Possible Confusion - Most likely confused with Leucanthemum × superbum, the Shasta daisy. Though also edible.
Otherwise, likely daisy [Bellis perennis], although this is also edible. The flower heads are much alike in appearance, but the daisy’s flowers are much smaller at around two centimetres wide.
Possibly also Scentless mayweed [Tripleurospermum inodorum] or Scented mayweed [Matricaria recutita]. Both of the mayweeds have similar flower heads. But, their leaves are very different, forming a thin and thread-like network.
Description - A delicious native plant with a really unique flavour. The young leaves are tastiest when young (getting more bitter with age), and the flower buds make an excellent caper. The opened flower heads are also said to make an excellent tempura (we haven't tried a recipe yet).
Physical Characteristics - Oxeye Daisy is a perennial native European herb that grows to a height of 80 centimetres. The lower parts of the stem are hairy but more or less hairless in the upper parts. The largest leaves are at the base of the plant and are 4–15 cm long, about 5 cm wide and have a petiole. These leaves have up to 15 teeth, or lobes or both on the edges. The leaves decrease in size up the stem, the upper leaves up to 7.5 cm long, lack a petiole and are deeply toothed.
The plant bears up to three "flowers" like those of a typical daisy. Each flower head is large in comparison to other daisy species, growing between 2–7 cm wide. Each head has between fifteen and forty white petals surrounding the yellow disc florets. Below the head is an involucre of glabrous green bracts 7–10 millimetres long with brownish edges. Flowering usually occurs from May to October.
Medicinal Qualities - We’ve found lots of supposed uses for Oxeye, but are yet to find any scientific data.
Harvesting Sustainability - This is a massively abundant plant, and you are unlikely to do any damage to local populations by picking for personal use. It is loved by insects so best to pick sporadically throughout the local population.
Important note - It is worth noting that Oxeye is growing close to the ground. So make sure you pick away from dog walkers & pollutants.
Never munch on a hunch! Volf takes no responsibility for anything consumed.
Now For The Tasty Bit!
Here Are Our Delicious Recipes Using Oxeye Daisy…
