Mineral Wildflower Festival

Technical Name

• Leucanthemum vulgare (formerly Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

Informal Names

• Oxeye daisy

• Margarite

• White daisy

• Field daisy

Key Characteristics

• The Flower Head: Classic daisy appearance, featuring a central button of packed, bright yellow disc florets surrounded by a flat ring of 15 to 30 long, pristine white ray petals. The heads typically span 1 to 2 inches across and sit solitary at the ends of long, slender stems.

• The Foliage: The leaves are dark green and glossy. Basal leaves are spoon-shaped with distinct teeth or lobes, while the leaves higher up the stem are narrower, alternating, and clasp directly onto the stem.

• Growth Habit: A hardy, rhizomatous perennial herb that forms dense, interconnected clumps or rosettes close to the ground before sending up erect, mostly unbranched flowering stems that reach heights of 1 to 3 feet.

Notable Significance

• Invasive Behavior: Introduced from Europe in the 1800s as a popular garden ornamental, it is now classified as an aggressive invasive weed in California. It easily spreads via creeping rhizomes and prolific seed production, forming dense monocultures that outcompete and crowd out delicate native wildflowers.

• Agricultural Impact: It is generally unpalatable to cattle and sheep. When it invades mountain pastures or hay fields, it significantly degrades the overall forage quality and can give dairy milk a distinctly bitter taste if consumed by livestock.

• Eradication Target: Because it readily invades pristine subalpine meadows, the National Park Service heavily monitors and treats infestations right outside and within the boundaries of nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park to protect native ecosystems.

Locations Found

• Habitat: Exceptionally versatile, it thrives in full sun to partial shade and is highly drawn to damp, disturbed sites. It is a constant fixture along mountain roadsides, trail edges, pastures, and open meadows.

• Local Presence: In and around the Mineral area and along Highways 36 and 44, it pops up abundantly during the early summer months, taking advantage of the rich, moisture-retaining soils provided by mountain snowmelt.