Origin:
Introduced from Europe as a garden ornamental, and now escaped to become a common weed in home and recreational turf.
Biology:
A perennial that spreads by rhizomes to form dense mats of plants, each plant growing prostrate and very low. It adapts to and tolerates close mowing very easily. Propagation is by seeds that are carried with the wind.
Identification:
Mature plants are essentially without stems, and with all leaves growing as a rosette from the base. Leaves are nearly smooth or slightly hairy, are oval to round, and abruptly narrow to their short petiole. The leaf margins are usually smooth but also may have short teeth. Flower heads are the typical “daisy” appearance, with the central disc flowers bright yellow and the long, thin ray flowers white or sometimes pinkish. Each flower head grows at the end of a leafless stalk, or scape, that rises from the base of the plant.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Moist soils are preferred, as are cooler, damp environments. The plant is a perennial that can spread by rhizomes, making physical removal less effective than chemical control.
