Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is part of the daisy family and also known as Dog Daisy. It is an aggressive, perennial broadleaf herb, and forms dense stands, that smother the existing turf.

 

 

In Australia, Oxeye Daisy is found in NSW, ACT, VIC (where it is a declared noxious weed), SA and TAS.

 

 

 

What weeds reveal about soil conditions is in our blog on indicator weeds. Oxeye Daisy prefers to grow in soils with low P, and high K and Mg soils.

Thanks to the Atlas of Living Australia for the distribution map for Oxeye Daisy.

 

Oxeye Daisy is an upright perennial that spreads by seed and rhizomes. It is much larger than a Daisy. While Daisies tend to grow as small, flat rosettes, Oxeye Daisy grows at first as a rosette, and then produces upright, leafy flower stems.

• Leucanthemum vulgare starts as a rosette. It then grows long stems that have small, narrow leaves.
• Over the Summer the above ground plant parts die.
• Each year Oxeye Daisy re-grows from the roots.
• The spoon shape dark green rosette leaves are on stalks, and have a slightly jagged edge.
• The stem leaves of Oxeye Daisy are also dark green, and without stalks. They have a lance shape, and are smaller and narrower than the rosette leaves.
• The stem leaves have up to 15 jagged teeth, and are alternate.

 

Category: Broadleaf (Dicot).

Photosynthetic Pathway. Oxeye Daisy is a C3 weed.

Flower: The flower heads of Leucanthemum vulgare have 15 to 35 white petals and a yellow button shaped centre up to 5 cm across. It flowers from the late Spring to the early Summer.

Height: Dog Daisy grows up to 1 m tall.

Leaf length: The basal leaves of Oxeeye Daisy are 4 to 15 cm long. The leaves shorten towards the top of the plant, with the upper leaves only being 7.5 cm long.

Reproduction: Oxeye Daisy reproduces from seeds and rhizomes, and produces up to 26,000 seeds. The seeds germinate in the Autumn or Spring and are spread by animals, vehicles and water. They are long-lived, with 80% viable for up to 6 years.

Temperatures of 25°C are ideal for Oxeye Daisy germination.

Comments: When crushed it has a strong sour smell.

Habitat:  You find Oxeye Daisy in disturbed areas like roadsides, and waste areas. It favours moist, loamy soils, and high nutrient levels.

 

 

The best option to control Leucanthemum vulgare is cultural control as there are very few registered post emergent herbicides. Currently no pre-emergent herbicides are registered to control Oxeye Daisy in turf in Australia.

• Hand Removal. You can hand pull small populations or remove them with hand tools. It is important you remove any roots from at least 10 cm below the ground to avoid re-growth. It is easier to do this when the soil is damp and loose.
• Maintain a full turf cover. Establish and maintain turf grass to outcompete this weed, as it cannot tolerate shade.
• Oxeye Daisy is not competitive with turf grass in high nitrogen soils, so fertilizing is a good way to control this weed.
• Mow. Don’t mow too low as this weed quickly invades bare ground. Mow once after it produces a flower stalk but before it flowers. It is important to mow again four weeks later to prevent flowering later in the season. Mowing stimulates Oxeye Daisy to grow lateral branches and rhizomes, and is effective in combination with the use of herbicides. Mowing tends to produce a more uniform plant with a greater leaf area to absorb herbicides.

 

 

Glyphosate is effective but non-selective, so it kills everything it comes into contact with. Aim to apply in the Spring from the rosette to bud stage of growth.

 

You need to get adequate foliar coverage of Oxeye Daisy for good results, so use a nonionic surfactant like Optispread 1000.

 

The following products kill all vegetation, and in the case of Numchuk, Renegade and Cortex Duo have a long term residual to prevent any regrowth of Oxeye Daisy.

• Renegade. This stops Oxeye Daisy from germinating for up to 12 months, and reduces the need for multiple herbicide applications.
• Numchuk Quad. Gives effective post and pre emergence weed control for up to 12 months.
• Cortex Duo. Gives a rapid knockdown and residual control for up to 3 months. Cortex Duo is safe to use around trees.
• Rapid Fire 800. If you use Glyphosate to control Oxeye Daisy and water quality is an issue, then add Manta Ray to your tank mix.