We all know daisies from our childhoods.
But did you know that there are other daisies with different appearances?
If this sparks interest, read on.
In this article
Daisy meaning & symbolism
The name Daisy alone is symbolic on its own.
It is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word which means days eye.
This is because its petals curl up in the dusk but will bloom widely at first light.
It generally relates to innocence, new beginnings, transformation and cheerfulness.
It is given to friends and family who have achieved milestones, moved into new homes or got promoted.
It is also commonly given to people who are recuperating from illness or are having episodes of emotional downward-spiraling.
Hence, daisies are associated with purity and innocence.
In the Norse mythology, daisy is considered as Freyas sacred flower.
As such, the daisy stands for fertility, motherhood, childbirth and new beginnings.
In Scandinavia, daisies are given as congratulatory flowers.
Bellis daisies are also connected to Roman lore.
In the Christian tradition, it is associated with the Virgin Mary, hence, representing chastity and purity.
This rich symbolism of daisies is another reason why it is well-loved.
Aside from really sprucing up the garden, it really gives the garden a meaningful touch.
They are widely cultivated as indoor plants and for bouquets.
Gerberas feature single, double and multiple petals.
They can be propagated through seeds and division.
Its color selection includes yellow, pink, salmon, red, orange and white.
It is also called the Blushing Barberton Daisy which blooms cream, lilac and deep purple flowers.
It will intermittently bloom year long but more profusely during spring.
It is easy to grow from seed making it a good houseplant too.
This perennial is also called the Barberton Daisy.
It does not resemble the typical daisy look and is sometimes even considered as a species of its own.
It comes in hues of bright orange, red, pink and yellow.
Bellis Daisies
This punch in is also known as the common daisy.
It is the common daisy of our childhood with its small, white petals and intense yellow center.
It only has 12 species in its cluster producing solitary flowers per stem.
They are also hardy perennials, profuse bloomers, and are very robust species perfect for spring bedding.
It is the only annual daisy in this genus and is native to Spain.
It highly resembles the common daisy complete with the white petals and yellow center along with its medicinal properties.
It is typically double flowered and comes in yellow, white, pink and red hues.
Its only distinguishable characteristic is that it is smaller in size than the common daisy.
This one is called the lawn daisy because they are commonly used as ground covers in lawns.
It has the proverbial white ray florets and yellow center and each stem will produce solitary, single flowers.
They love cooler temperatures and shady plant sites.
It blooms from early spring to mid-summer in a color selection of red, pink, white and blue.
It is a perennial featuring a number of hybrids grown as ornamentals.
They get the name Shasta from Mount Shasta located in Northern California.
This one is the shasta daisy which is the most popular Leucanthemum.
It is also commonly known as moon daisy or dog daisy.
It is an adaptive daisy growing in wastelands, meadows and grasslands.
It will produce solitary flowers per stem.
Compared to wildflowers, it will die after two or three years.
Arctotis Daisies
These are also known as African daisies native to South Africa.
They include almost 60 species of bright colored perennial daisies including hybrids.
They are distinct because most of its species do not have stems.
They flower directly from the plants base.
It is also known as blue-eyed daisy.
This low-growing perennial is a perfect ground cover for large areas at 1ft tall and 2-3ft spread.
It loves full sun and low water requirements.
It has low care requirements once it establishes roots.
The name revoluta which is translated as rolled backwards is taken from its leaves rolling backwards on the edges.
It will bloom yellow flowers in the summer.
Painted Daisies
This genus is native to southwest Asia.
Daisies under this are hardy perennials that thrive in a wide range of soil, light and water conditions.
They are propagated through seeds or stem cuttings.
They are called painted daisies because of their distinct color selections.
They are also favorite bouquet flowers and are known to be good insect repellants.
It is a famous companion flower for gardens and is unique for its citrus-scent.
It is however, a short-lived, compact perennial which enjoys full sun and part shade.
It is cultivated in Europe and the Americas for its purpose being a traditional medicine to fever and migraine.
It is also a natural insect repellent.
It also goes by the name of golden buttons or ginger plant.
It gets its name for its golden yellow color and button-like appearance blooming throughout summer.
It is cultivated as both border plant and ornamental thanks to its heavy scent.
It is also notable for its fern-like leaves.
It is also used in dry arrangements as it grows to up to 3ft and at 2ft wide.
It is self-seeding, drought-tolerant and a known natural insect repellent.
It is a showy bloomer with magenta colored ray florets and golden yellow center.
It produces large flowers in bulks (3inches wide).
It also has painted daisies citrus scent, making them natural insect and mosquito repellants.
Its fern-like leaves remain deep green all year long, hence, maintaining attractiveness even after the blooms fade.
It is a favorite of bees and butterflies and is a popular cut flower.
Monoptilon Daisies
This genus is native to the southwest US specifically scattered in the Mojave Desert.
These daisies are used in xeriscape to spruce up adesert garden.
It niches on dry, vast open areas and blooms until the end of winter.
It is also called the small desert flower.
They have hairy, deep green foliage that make them look like succulents.
It blooms yellow and white flowers typically thriving in sandy soils and in high humidity climates.
It highly resembles the bellioides in all aspects; from foliage, low-growth to flowers.
The distinguishable characteristics however, would be their purple-red stems, bigger flowers and pink-tinged centers.
This tall chrysanthemum daisy is also called the Indian chrysanthemum.
Its yellow flowers are like pom-poms blooming in cold temperatures when the season has less than 14hrs of sun.
It can grow up to 3ft and its leaves are 5 inches long.
They are also popular as indoor plants because of their known air filtering properties.
While it is listed here, it is not a true daisy.
It is unique for its hairy stems and leaves.
They can stand at a height of 2-3ft, enjoy full sun and well-draining soil.
It will bloom beautiful golden yellow ray florets with brown-black center in the summer.
Its most showy cultivars are the Sonora and the Cherokee Sunset.
Marguerite Daisies (Argyranthemum Daisies)
They are also called federation daisies.
They are popular among bees and will better thrive in cooler temperatures.
It must be kept in a location where strong winds and the winter frost cannot penetrate.
It blooms yellow, white and pink ray florets from spring to summer.
It also goes by the name Royal Haze or Canary Island Marguerite.
Its flowers bloom from late spring to summer.
It has the typical daisy appearance with white ray florets and yellow center.
It is low-growing, making a good ground cover.
Its foliage is also notable for its blue-green foliage and soft-feathery texture and overall appearance.
And since it will stay green all year long, the foliage enough is a stunner.
They are commonly confused for Dimorphotheca but unlike it, they are perennials.
Unlike typical daisies too, they come in more vivid color selections with centers looking like metallic paint.
It is one of the most popular Osteospermums and is also called as Delightful African daisy.
Aside from its attractive gray-green foliage, it is also heavily scented.
It loves full sun, slightly moist and well-draining soils.
It is easy to propagate with stem cuttings in spring or fall.
It is beneficial in weedy gardens as it suppresses weed growth.
It is also grown as a container plant in regions where temperatures drop to -5 degrees Celsius.
It has white ray florets with blue/lavender undersides.
It enjoys full-sun, moist, well-draining soil and a less windy location.
It can grow to up to 4ft in height and its flowers could grow to as wide as 3ft.
They are only found in central and northeastern America and are cultivated for their high medicinal properties.
It is native to the US and Canada and is also called the Eastern purple coneflower.
It is popular for its purple cone-shaped flower heads.
It has gained notable awards through the years because of its huge color selection.
It is also widely cultivated for its medicinal properties specifically in boosting the immune system.
It is notable for its drooping petals that look like draped skirts.
Its pink-purple color adds to its whimsical flair.
It is good for pollinating gardens as it is a favorite of butterflies.
It is native to the central US, specifically in Mississippi, Michigan and New England.
Botanically, it is the aster family kicking in the Bellis genus.
This genus has 25 species which are all native to North America.
It is a biennial wildflower with all the common daisy appearance.
It is low-growing, with white/pink ray florets and yellow center.
As ground cover, it can spread to up to 1.5ft.
It is found throughout the US and is particularly popular in Idaho and Montana.
This is because its stems are at the same level as its foliage.
What color daisies are there?
Contrary to what popular beliefs account, daisies do not only come with white ray florets and yellow centers.
There are actually more color selections for the flowers than you could think about.
However, it is dependent on the key in of daisy we have.
The more cultivars or hybrids a bang out has, the more diverse its color selection will be.
What adds to its color selection would be the different colors of centers and rings that daisies have.
Some types of daisies also have other color tinges and ring colors that make them infinitely beautiful.
Are daisy and sunflowers the same?
For starters, daisies belong to the genus Bellis while sunflowers belong to the genus Helianthus.
In terms of color selection, daisies surely have a wider selection.
But unlike popular belief too, sunflowers do not exclusively come in a golden yellow color.
As a matter of fact, it comes in orange, white, ruby red, and bronze color.
With these, it is safe to say that daisies and sunflowers are not the same.
But we get why this would be a question.
I mean, have you seen the golden button daisies?
They look like small versions of sunflowers.
But then again, we have clarified, these two flowers are not the same.
Are daisies poisonous?
Unfortunately, daisies are toxic specially to pets and children.
The Bellis genus is particularly toxic to cats, dogs when ingested in high volume.
It will also cause rashes to children when exposure to it is long and constant.
This is because of its toxic components composed mainly of irritants such as lactones and pyrethrins, among others.
These could cause hypersalivation, dermatitis, diarrhea and vomiting.
It contains toxic substances including anthemic and tannic acid, chamazulene and bisabolol.
These components may contact dermatitis, allergic reactions, vomiting, diarrhea and tendencies for internal hemorrhage.
Is a daisy edible?
It is not easy to follow the previous question with this one but astoundingly, daisies are also edible.
Edible daisies are limited to common daisies or the one you see in your lawn.
Particularly, its flower buds and young leaves are added to salads and as garnish to sandwiches.
They are also added to sandwiches and cooked to add color in omelets.
For one, it offers a lot of medicinal properties that are used in traditional/herbal medicine.
Second, it provides a wide range of choices depending on what you think will perfectly fit your garden.
Given the profile we have provided here, you would get a lot of heads-up for what to choose.
Symbolically speaking, it has quite a meaningful upside.
So, what is not to love about daisies, right?
It is the perfect flower for all the right reasons.
