What is the botanical name of the flower?

"Daisy" (Daisies = plural) is a common generic term and can refer to any of a large group of different plants that share similar general characteristics - much in the same way that a group of plants are called "herbs".

• They normally belong to the plant Family Asteraceae or Compositeae - although this is not necessary the only criteria.
• They normally have a number of coloured bracts (ray florets) which surround numerous (slightly insignificant) flowers (disk florets), similar in structure to the Sunflower, but smaller.
• The coloured ray florets are the primary attractant to insect pollinators; flower colours can range from bright white and include reds, yellows, lilac shades and Oranges.
• These composite flowers are normally borne in profusion on the plant during the flowering period.

The portfolio of Daisies is not fixed and covers a multitude of plants which vary from country to country. Simply because their flowers appear similar, people refer to them commonly as a Daisy if they do not know the correct botanical name.

Some common examples are:

Common Daisy - Bellis perennis

Oxeye Daisy - Leucanthemum vulgare

Shasta Daisy - Leucanthemum X superbum

Crown Daisy (Garland Chrysanthemum)- Chrysanthemum coronarium / 4 other names

Livingstone daisy - Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (formerly Mesembryanthemum criniflorum)