Leucanthemum vulgare

Native to Europem Turkey, and Georgia. Introduced and naturalized in North America.

State noxious weed in Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, and Lake of the Woods Counties

Fields, pastures, disturbed sites.

June to August

White ray florets, yellow disk florets

8″ to 24″

This is an erect, perennial forb that rises on usually 1 stem from fibrous roots with short rhizomes. It can be 8″ to 24″ tall but is usually no more than 12 tall″.

The stems are erect, hairless or inconspicuously hairy, usually unbranched, and angled.

Basal leaves are spatulate or inversely lance-shaped with the attachment at the narrow end,½″ to 2″ long, ⅓″ to 1⅛″ wide, but usually no more than 1⅓″ long and ¾″ wide. They are on leaf stalks that are ⅓″ to 4″ long but usually no more than 1⅛″ long. The margins are usually pinnately lobed with 3 to 7 lobes, with or without irregular teeth, or are unlobed and irregularly toothed.

Stem leaves are alternate, and inversely lance-shaped, spatulate to lance-shaped, or linear. They are 1⅛″ to 3⅛″ long, and 1 ⁄16″ to 9 ⁄16″ wide, becoming smaller and fewer as they ascend the stem. Lower stem leaves are on short leaf stalks, the stalks becoming shorter as they ascend the stem. Upper leaves are stalkless. Margins of the mid-stem leaves are usually irregularly toothed around the entire margin. The upper and lower surfaces are hairless.

The inflorescence is a single flower head on a long, slender stalk at the ends of the stems and branches.

The flowers are 1″ to 2⅓″ wide, composed of 15 to 35 white ray florets surrounding a flattened, ¼″ to ¾″ wide disk of numerous yellow disk florets. The rays are ½″ to 1⅓″ long though usually no longer than ¾″, and are toothed at the tip. At the base of the flower head are several series of overlapping, green bracts with brown margins.

The fruit is an achene.

Dog-fennel (Anthemis cotula) leaves are feathery, 2 to 3 times pinnately-divided, not lobed. The ray flowers are shorter, stubbier.

Wild chamomile (Matricaria recutita) leaves are feathery, 2 to 3 times pinnately-divided, not lobed. The ray flowers are shorter, stubbier.