Leucanthemum × superbum, the Shasta daisy, is a commonly grown flowering herbaceous perennial plant with the classic daisy appearance of white petals (ray florets) around a yellow disc, similar to the oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare Lam, but larger.
It originated as a hybrid produced in 1890 by the American horticulturist Luther Burbank from a number of daisies. First, he crossed Leucanthemum vulgare with Leucanthemum maximum; this double hybrid was itself crossed with Leucanthemum lacustre.Ruth Rogers Clausen and Thomas Christopher. Essential Perennials: The Complete Reference to 2700 Perennials for the Home Garden. Timber Press, 2015. p. 250. Maureen Gilmer. "Discovering a Daisy". The Daily Journal. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015. The resulting Leucanthemum triple hybrid was crossed with Nipponanthemum nipponicum, creating an intergeneric cross of species from three continents. It was named after Mount Shasta, because its petals were the color of the snow. Some members of the genus are considered noxious weeds, but the Shasta daisy remains a favorite garden plant.
Many cultivars are suitable for cut flowers, such as 'Becky', 'Esther Read', 'Silberprinzesschen' (), 'Snow Lady', 'Tinkerbell', 'Wirral Pride', 'Wirral Supreme'. The cultivars 'T.E. Killin' and 'Wirral Supreme' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
References
External links
"Shasta Daisy" at Luther Burbank Home & Gardens website