Bellis perennis

Bellis perennis is a very common European species of daisy, of the Asteraceae family, often considered the model type for the name "daisy".

Many related plants also share the name "daisy", so to distinguish this species from other daisies, it is sometimes qualified as "white daisy", "common daisy", "lawn daisy" or "English daisy". The plant resembles Leucanthemum vulgare, a similar plant in the same family. Bellis perennis is native to western, central and northern Europe, but widely naturalised in most temperate regions including the Americas, and Australasia.

Names
Linnaeus named the plant species Bellis perennis in Sp. Pl. 2: 886. 1753View the page online in Biodiversity Heritage Library
 Bellis is the Latin word for "pretty", "beautiful"; this word was used also as the name of the plant, and Pliny the Elder wrote Bellis in pratis nascitur, flore albo... ("The daisy that grows in the meadows, with a white flower...").Univ. Chicago - B. Thayer, Pliny the Elder: the Natural History, Liber XXVI
 perennis, Latin for "that lasts the whole year", "perennial".F. Gaffiot. Dictionnaire Latin-Français, Hachette, Paris, 1934, p. 1145.

Description
It is an low herbaceous perennial plant with short rhizomes and rosettes of small rounded or spoon-shaped leaves that are  long and grow flat to the ground.

The flower heads are  in diameter. Although the 'flower' may appear to consist of a yellow centre with white petals, this is not the case. Each individual "petal" is itself an individual flower; these flowers are called ray flowers. In the centre (the "disk") there are also many tiny yellow flowers; these are called the disk flowers. The different colours and styles of flower work together in order to attract insects. The flower heads are produced on stems without leaves that are  tall.

Where it grows
Bellis perennis is native to Northern Africa (Morocco), Southwestern Asia, and Europe; widely introduced and naturalised elsewhere.

The species habitually colonises grasslands, including lawns, and is difficult to eradicate. Wherever it appears it is often considered an invasive weed.

Uses as food
This daisy may be used as a leaf vegetable. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads  or cooked, noting that the leaves become increasingly astringent with age. Flower buds and petals can be eaten raw in sandwiches, soups and salads. It is also used as a tea and as a vitamin supplement.

Gallery

Related pages
 Asteraceae

References

Other websites

 Plants for a Future: Bellis perennis profile

Category:Asteraceae
Category:Flowers