Blackfoot Daisy is a low, bushy, rounded and erect, long-blooming perennial wildflower in the daisy family. It is a sturdy, mounding plant that will flourish in rock gardens and grow up to 12 inches tall and twice as wide. It has narrow, grayish-green leaves and blooms in the summer with uniform white flowers that last until frost. This plant requires full sun and needs to be planted deep in soil. It is heat and drought tolerant, and tolerant of nutritionally poor soils. It is a low water use plant. Good drainage is essential. You can cut the plant back to half its size in late winter to keep it compact. You can also increase flower production with rich soil and abundant water, but this will likely shorten the lifespan of the plant. This plant has a taproot and, thus, is not subject to propagation by division. Along with rock gardens, this plant can also be utilized in mass planting, borders, or in the middle of flower beds. It does not require deadheading to continue producing flowers, but deadheading will tend to limit self-seeding. Note that birds are also attracted to the seeds. At first glance, Blackfoot Daisy appears to be the twin of White Zinnia ( Zinnia acerosa ), but flower heads of the latter species have 4 to 7 broad white rays and a narrow base of several overlapping scales. Quick ID Hints: Erect herb with white flowers in heads Heads with single row ray flowers Peduncle with 2 rows of erect white hairs Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests. It is susceptible to powdery mildew in hot, humid environments.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Rounded
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Linear; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire; Lobed
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are linear-oblong, entire to pinnately lobed, have rough hairs, and are 1-2" long.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Daisy like flowers with 8 to 13 white rays surrounding a small yellow disc. Ray flowers are in a single series. Inflorescence is a head on terminal, elongated peduncles, 1-1 and 1/2" in diameter. There are few involucral bracts, they are 4-6 in a single series, and are broad and obtuse. Peduncle has 2 rows of erect, whitish hairs.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North American Sonoran desert
Distribution
Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannas, Dry calcalreous substrates across the western and south western parts of North America.
Wildlife value
Birds love the seeds
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Naturalized Area; Slope/Bank
Landscape theme
Drought Tolerant Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden