''Leucanthemum'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flowering plants in the aster

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. Species range naturally from Europe through the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Siberia to the Russian Far East. Some species are known on other continents as

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

, and some are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s. The name ''Leucanthemum'' derives from the Greek words ''λευκός – leukos'' ("white") and ''ἄνθεμον – anthemon'' ("flower"). Common names for ''Leucanthemum'' species usually include the name daisy (e.g. ox-eye daisy, Shasta daisy), but " daisy" can also refer to numerous other genera in the Asteraceae family.

Description

''Leucanthemum'' species are

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

s growing from red-tipped

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s. The plant produces one erect stem usually reaching 40 to 130 centimeters tall, but known to exceed 2 meters at times. It is branching or unbranched and hairy to hairless. Some species have mainly basal leaves, and some have leaves along the stem, as well. Some leaves are borne on petioles, and others are sessile, attached to the stem at their bases. They vary in shape, and some are lobed or toothed. The flower head is solitary, paired, or in a group of three on the stem. The base of the head is layered with up to 60 or more rough-edged phyllaries. The ''Leucanthemum'' head has about 13 to 34 ray florets of various widths, occasionally more, and rarely none. The ray florets are always white but fade pink with age. The head has over 100 yellow disc florets at the center. The fruit is a ribbed, hairless cypsela.''Leucanthemum''.
Flora of North America.

Ecology

''Leucanthemum'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species, including the bucculatricid leaf-miners '' Bucculatrix argentisignella'', '' B. leucanthemella'', and '' B. nigricomella'', which feed exclusively on ''

Leucanthemum vulgare ''Leucanthemum vulgare'', commonly known as the ox-eye daisy, oxeye daisy, dog daisy, marguerite (, "common marguerite") and other common names, is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia, and an introduced ...

''.

Species

51 species are accepted, along with several interspecies hybrids. *'' Leucanthemum adustum'' Gremli *'' Leucanthemum ageratifolium'' *'' Leucanthemum aligulatum'' Vogt *'' Leucanthemum × aramisii'' *'' Leucanthemum × athosii'' *'' Leucanthemum atratum'' (Jacq.) DC. *'' Leucanthemum burnatii'' Briq. & Cavill. *'' Leucanthemum cacuminis'' *'' Leucanthemum cantabricum'' *'' Leucanthemum catalaunicum'' Vogt *'' Leucanthemum chloroticum'' *'' Leucanthemum coronopifolium'' Vill. *'' Leucanthemum corsicum'' (Sieber ex Less.) DC. *'' Leucanthemum × corunnense'' *''

Leucanthemum crassifolium ''Leucanthemum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. Species range naturally from Europe through the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Siberia to the Russian Far East. Some species are known on other continents ...

Leucanthemum pluriflorum ''Leucanthemum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family (biology), family, Asteraceae. Species range naturally from Europe through the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Siberia to the Russian Far East. Some species are known o ...

'' *'' Leucanthemum × porthosii'' *'' Leucanthemum pseudosylvaticum'' *'' Leucanthemum pyrenaicum'' *'' Leucanthemum rohlenae'' (Horvatić) Vogt & Greuter *'' Leucanthemum rotundifolium'' DC. *'' Leucanthemum subglaucum'' De Laramb. *'' Leucanthemum × superbum'' (Bergmans ex J.W.Ingram) D.H.Kent – Shasta daisy (artificial hybrid) *'' Leucanthemum sylvaticum'' (Brot.) Nyman *'' Leucanthemum tridactylites'' (A.Kern. & Huter) Bazzich. *'' Leucanthemum valentinum'' *'' Leucanthemum virgatum'' (Desr.) Clos *'' Leucanthemum visianii'' (Gjurašin) Vogt & Greuter *''

'' (Vaill.) Lam. – ox-eye daisy

Artificial hybrids

* ''Leucanthemum'' × ''superbum'' (''L. lacustre'' × ''L. maximum'' × ''L. vulgare'') – Shasta daisy

Formerly placed here

*'' Mauranthemum paludosum'' (as ''Leucanthemum paludosum'' (Poir.) Bonnet & Barratte)

Gallery

Leucanthemum graminifolium 1.JPG, '' Leucanthemum graminifolium'' Leucanthemum August 2012-1.jpg, '' Leucanthemum lacustre'' Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum x superbum - geograph.org.uk - 1419764.jpg, ''Leucanthemum'' × ''superbum'' Leucanthemum 'Crazy Daisy' 01.jpg, '' Leucanthemum maximum'' 'Crazy Daisy' File:A leucanthemum flower.jpg

References

External links

* *
GRIN Species Records of ''Leucanthemum''
{{Authority control Asteraceae genera Flora of the Palearctic realm Taxa described in 1754 Taxa named by Philip Miller