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Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Ox-eye Daisy forms dense stands that can replace desirable pasture and exclude native vegetation. It is difficult to control and produces many long-lived seeds, so follow-up is important.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: Europe and parts of Asia.

Established in: NSW, VIC, TAS, SA.

Other names: Ox-eyed Daisy.

Best time to act: Look for flowering plants in spring to early summer, and treat large infestations at the early flowering stage.

Identification

  • It is an erect perennial herb growing to about 1 metre tall, with a creeping underground rootstock that can produce new plants.
  • Its leaves are toothed or shallowly lobed; lower leaves are stalked and hairy, while upper leaves are smaller and may clasp the stem.
  • Long-stalked flower-heads grow singly or in groups of up to three, with a yellow centre surrounded by 15 to 30 white ray florets.
  • The flower-heads are about 3 to 5 centimetres across, and the dark brown, grey or black fruits are about 1.5 to 2.5 millimetres long.
  • Look-alike: Shasta Daisy has larger, solitary flower-heads and larger leaves that are regularly finely toothed.
  • Look-alike: Stinking Mayweed has smaller flowers and finely divided leaves.

Where it grows

In Australia it occurs mainly in southeastern areas, especially cool temperate, high-rainfall sites such as roadsides, cleared land, overgrazed pastures, woodlands, grasslands and wetlands.

Why it matters

  • Dense stands exclude other vegetation and can reduce pasture value and carrying capacity.
  • It invades native grasslands, woodlands, forests and riparian areas, displacing native plants, including some endangered species, and reducing food available to native fauna.
  • When above-ground growth dies back over summer, it can leave bare ground and increase soil erosion risk.
  • It is unpalatable to livestock, and milk can acquire a disagreeable taste if cattle eat it.

How it spreads

  • Plants produce about 1,300 to 26,000 seeds, which can remain dormant in soil for 20 years or more.
  • The small seeds are not adapted for wind dispersal, but can travel in mud or soil carried by animals and vehicles; up to 60% may remain viable after passing through cattle.
  • It can also spread through root fragments carried by earthmoving equipment.

Control options

  • Use an integrated approach, combining registered herbicides with physical or mechanical control and pasture management, and revisit treated areas because seeds persist in the soil.
  • Where suitable, treat large infestations with herbicide in the early flowering stage; herbicides may damage non-target plants.
  • Hand-pull small populations and outliers, removing roots from at least 10 centimetres below ground to limit regrowth.
  • Intensive cultivation to about 20 centimetres can be effective, especially in summer; shallow cultivation alone can spread root fragments, and mowing at first flowering may stimulate further growth and flowering.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Check and clean vehicles and earthmoving equipment to avoid moving seed in mud or soil, or spreading root fragments from infested areas.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Regional priority in 3 of 11 regions. Regional priority weed in Central Tablelands, Hunter, Murray. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Regionally controlled / restricted weed (varies by region). Where it is regionally controlled, landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its growth and spread on their land. Where it is a restricted weed, trade in it (including the plant, its seed or contaminated material) is prohibited.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board

Sources