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Oxeye Daisy

©Marl Hamblin/2020VISION

Oxeye Daisy

©Jon Hawkins

Oxeye Daisy

©Gemma de Gouveia

Oxeye daisy

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Enw gwyddonol: Leucanthemum vulgare
Often growing in swathes along a roadside or field margin, the oxeye daisy is just as at home in traditional hay meadows. The large, white, daisy-like flowers are easy to identify.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 60cm

Conservation status

Common.

Pryd i'w gweld

June to September

Ynghylch

A typical grassland plant, the oxeye daisy thrives on roadside verges and waste ground, as well as in traditional hay meadows and along field margins. Its large blooms appear from July to September and are so bright that they appear to 'glow' in the evening, hence the other common names of 'moon daisy' and 'moonpenny'.

What to look for

The oxeye daisy is easy to identify by its large, round flower heads that appear on single, tall stems. It has spoon-shaped leaves at its base and thin, jagged leaves along the stem.

Where to find

Widespread.

Habitats

Roeddech chi yn gwybod?

The petal-plucking game, 'He loves me; he loves me not', is thought to have started with the oxeye daisy, and is now a common children's activity. While thinking of a suitor, each petal is plucked until the answer of whether love is possible becomes apparent. However, each 'petal' is actually an individual flower as oxeye daisies have composite flower heads consisting of yellow 'disc florets', surrounded by 'ray florets' (the 'petals').