Description
E42 Goldens (The Ox-eyed Daisy) Leucanthemum vulgare
The word ‘daisy’ comes from Old English ‘daeges eage’, meaning ‘day’s eye’ after the flower’s habit of opening their petals in the morning to show their eyes during the day and closing them again at night. Worldwide there are about 200 species of daisies. The tall ‘Ox-eyed Daisies’, sometimes known as ‘Goldens’, grow in swathes on roadside verges and flower in July. In medieval times they were called ‘Moon daisies’ or ‘Moonpenny’ because they appear to glow in the evening light.
‘Marguerite’, the French word for daisy, is derived from the Greek word, margarite, which means ‘Pearl’
Many species of daisy are edible and used in folk remedies. Ox-eyed daisies are widely believed to cure whooping cough and bronchial infections. The Romans armies sent slaves to collect common lawn daisies by the sack full to cure battle wounds which is why they were often called ‘Bruisewort’ or ‘Woundwort’ (names that daisies shared with other plants)
Victorians commonly used Daises to symbolise purity and innocence.
