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Common Name: Ox-Eye Daisy

General Information

Leucanthemum vulgare is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Lapland south and east to the Mediterranean and Siberia.

Habitat

A common weed of grassy fields on all the better types of soil, avoiding acid soils and shade[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a good garden soil in a sunny position[]. Prefers a rich soil[].
Plants are hardy to at least -20°c[].
The whole plant is permeated with an acrid juice, making it obnoxious to insects[]. The flowers have a smell like stale perspiration[].
Grows well in the summer meadow but may need some help in maintaining itself[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, ]. The young spring shoots are finely chopped and added to salads[, , ]. Rather pungent[], they should be used sparingly or mixed with other salad plants[].
Root - raw[]. Used in spring[].

Medicinal

The whole plant, and especially the flowers[], is antispasmodic, antitussive, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, tonic and vulnerary[, , ]. It is harvested in May and June then dried for later use[]. The plant has been employed successfully in the treatment of whooping cough, asthma and nervous excitability[]. Externally it is used as a lotion on bruises, wounds, ulcers and some cutaneous diseases[, ]. A decoction of the dried flowers and stems has been used as a wash for chapped hands[]. A distilled water made from the flowers is an effective eye lotion in the treatment of conjunctivitis[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Basal cuttings in spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.