Asteraceae
30–100 cm
Meadow
White & yellow
The classic large white daisy of summer meadows, with a bold golden centre and cheerful white ray petals.
Natural History
The Ox-eye Daisy is the quintessential summer meadow flower — a large, cheerful daisy with brilliant white ray petals surrounding a bold, golden-yellow disc. It is one of the most familiar wildflowers in Britain, found in grasslands, road verges, and meadows throughout the country. The plant can grow to a metre in height and produces a succession of flowers from June to August. Unlike the common lawn daisy, the Ox-eye Daisy is a tall, robust plant that holds its own in long grass. It is an excellent plant for wildlife, attracting a wide range of pollinators, and is one of the most important nectar sources in traditional hay meadows. The flowers close at night and in dull weather — a phenomenon known as nyctinasty.
Habitats
Key Pollinators
Traditional Uses
Young leaves can be eaten in salads. The plant has been used in traditional herbal medicine as a tonic and to treat coughs. The flowers are used in wildflower arrangements.
Did You Know?
The Ox-eye Daisy is one of the best single plants for attracting pollinators to a garden — a single plant can host over 30 different species of insects.
Related Species
Common Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
The blazing scarlet emblem of remembrance, lighting up cornfields and roadsides with vivid colour from June to August.
Cowslip
Primula veris
A cheerful nodding cluster of golden-yellow bells that heralds spring in chalk grasslands and traditional hay meadows.
Primrose
Primula vulgaris
The delicate pale-yellow herald of spring, nestling in hedgebanks and woodland edges from February onwards.