He loves me. He loves me not.

He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not.

As children, we used the Oxeye Daisy as a predictor of true love. As each “petal” was plucked we would chant hoping that the very last would be, “He loves me!”

Technically, those white bits aren’t really petals.  Daisies are a part of  the Asteraceae family which includes asters, goldenrod, and dandelions.  All of the blooms in this family are made up of many flowers.  The yellow ones in the middle of the daisy are called disk flowers, and the white ones are ray flowers.  The disk flowers are arranged in a particular pattern once described by mathematician Fibonacci.  (Click here for more information on that!)

The Oxeye Daisy is native to Europe, but has naturalized here in North America. In some states, it is considered a pest and there are recommendations for how to eradicate and what native plants to substitute.

I have snacked on the leaves; they taste rather lettuce-y. Some sources also list medicinal uses for the plant.

I just think it’s pretty.

Learn more:

• http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/herbaceous/oxeyedaisy.html
  
• http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LEVU
• http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1903/#b
• http://www.popmath.org.uk/rpamaths/rpampages/sunflower.html