Arctic Daisy is one kind of perennial herb or shrub that grows in the arctic region. This plant’s specialty is its self-supporting type of growth system. Generally, the Arctic Daisy plant looks more beautiful from August to November when the flower blooms.
Today, I will discuss some basic information about this plant, such as its growth habits and requirements. After reading this article, you will also learn about its specialized adaptations and uses. If that sounds good to you, let me walk you through the whole article.
Arctic Daisy at A Glance
| Parameters | Details |
| Scientific name | Arctanthemum arcticum |
| Plant type | Perennial |
| Plant size | 10-40 cm |
| Leaf size | Leaf blade length:4-50 mm |
| Width | Spread 12-18 inches |
| Soil condition | Saline, Rocky soil |
| Watering | Normal |
| Sun exposure | Full sun |
| Leaf color | Deep green |
| Flower color | Central yellow and white petals |
| Blooming season | August to November |
| Toxicity | For children |
| Uses | Medical, Food |
What is an Arctic Daisy?
In general, Arctic Daisy is one type of flowering plant that grows from a thick rhizome. The scientific name of the Arctic Daisy is Arctanthemum arcticum.
The Arctic daisy is found most commonly in Massachusetts. Also, you can plant and cultivate it in your garden. In addition, the flowering plant belongs to the family Asteraceae.
Furthermore, The Arctic daisy is a non-evergreen perennial flower plant. The plant isn’t that big. The medium size of the plant makes it look so cute. An Arctic daisy can rise to 18 centimeters in height. The height ranges between 4-18 inches and sometimes more than that.
Besides, the Arctic daisy usually has more than one stem. This flowering plant sometimes appears with a single stem. The leaves are generally located in the stem linearly. Additionally, the leaves are small in size.
The color combination of the flower makes it look beautiful. The ray flower color is usually white or off-white. Also, the flower has a disk flower inside the ray flower. Moreover, this plant is famous in Alaska as well as in Quebec.
Why Is It Called Arctic Daisy: Arctic Daisy Flower Meaning
As these daisies grow in the Arctic regions, they are called arctic daisies. In order to know the meaning, you have to know about daisies.
In brief, Daisies are one kind of flower that has been around for a long time. The name Daisy came from “Daes eage” which means “Day’s eye.” However, daisies are small flowers that have a yellowish center disk and white petals. Daisies symbolize many things, and most commons are
- Innocence: An old Celtic legend said when an infant dies, God sprinkles daisies as innocence.
- True love: Actually, Daisies are two flowers that combine and blend. If you have a romantic day, you can use this flower as a symbol of your love.
Where Do Arctic Daisies Grow: Where Do Daisies Come From?
Normally, daisies can grow in all kinds of conditions everywhere. Also, they can thrive in both wet and dry conditions. Moreover, they can grow in high mountains as well as in flat grass.
Most commonly, the arctic daisy is found in Alaska, Parts of Canada, and Massachusetts. On the other hand, it is also native to Japan and Siberia. The appearance of the flower is not very popular.
Daisies have been around since 2200 B.C. The ancient Egyptians grew them in gardens for many purposes. Primarily it was used as a medicine. First, it was used for herbal remedies. Then slowly to fever and stomach pain, people started eating the daisies. Nowadays, many people eat daisies with tea and other drinks for many diseases.
What Does Arctic Daisy Look Like?
Normally, an arctic daisy flower looks like a disk. The leaves of the plant come from the basement and stick to the stem. However, the plant may be single or multi-stemmed.
Generally, the leaves are simple and small and distributed linearly in the stems. In addition, there are lobes at the edge of the leaves. Sometimes teeth may appear.
When it comes to color, the leaves are deep green, and the flower has a yellow color central disk. Ray petal flowers surround the central disk. Generally, the color of the ray flower is white. Sometimes maybe off-white.
The distribution of the petal flower looks like a sunflower. But the color combination makes a significant difference and is more beautiful. You can grow it in your garden to make the garden more attractive.
How Big Does an Arctic Daisy Get?
Normally, an Arctic daisy doesn’t grow that much bigger. The height of the arctic daisy ranges between 10 cm to 40 cm. The average growth of the arctic daisy is 30 cm. However, various types of arctic daisies are found in multiple regions.
Besides, the growth rate of the plant is not fast. This flowering plant grows slightly slowly; we can say medium growth rate. The longest arctic daisy found till now is 40 cm long.
How Do Arctic Daisies Survive: Arctic Daisy Adaptations?
The survival of the arctic daisy is not that hard. This flowering plant can grow and adapt to all conditions. In the mountains, hills, grass, and flat places, you can find daisies. But the arctic daisies have a specific place to grow. That’s why it is called an arctic daisy.
Discussing the survival below:
- Growth Close to the ground: They develop close to the ground. This plant also grows closely with each other. Hence, the effect of strong and harsh wind gets minimized and can’t harm the plant.
- Long root: This small plant’s roots go deep inside the ground. That’s why it can absorb necessary water from the ground, even in rocky soil.
- Small leaves: Due to the harsh winter, there is a high chance of moisture loss from the plant. Fortunately, the tiny leaves deny the considerable loss of moisture.
- Continuous photosynthesis: Arctic daisies can carry out photosynthesis even under snow. Thus, snow can’t affect their growth.
- Use of sunlight: This plant requires full sun for proper growth. The reason is they use sunlight to bloom the flowers quickly.
How Fast Does the Arctic Daisy Grow?
This beautiful plant is native to Alaska. Basically, it favors the tundra type of place. But You can plant and grow it anywhere you want. It will grow on the roadside and seaside at its average growth rate.
The growth rate of the daisy plants is medium indeed. It will usually take 1-2 years to grow and get its maximum plant size.
You can’t find the flowers in any of the months you want. Generally, the flower blooms from the beginning of August to the end of November.
How Long Do Daisy Plants Last?
With a medium growth rate, the small size plants don’t last for a long time. Although daisy plants can survive and grow in all situations, their lifespan is small compared to others.
However, different types of daisies have different lifetimes. On average, the lifetime of daisy plants ranges between two to three years. Besides, Proper care can increase the lifetime.
The daisy flower doesn’t bloom continuously for months or years. They bloom for only 7-10 days and come back again after some time. Moreover, you can bloom the flowers three times a year with proper care.
Can An Arctic Daisy Survive Winter?
The Arctic daisy is a flowering plant that can survive in all climates and all places. From gardens to mountains, they can grow and bloom at the same rate. They like cool climate conditions.
In the winter season, Arctic daisies remain dormant. The winter can’t cause any damage to the plants as they are quite sturdy. But remember that surviving the winter doesn’t mean surviving the frost and snow.
When you see the temperature falling under 35°F, you must provide favorable conditions. Otherwise, it will damage the leaves of the plant, and the flowers may fade out. As a result, the plant will die after some period.
Is Arctic Daisy Edible?
The answer is yes. Anyone can eat the flower of the arctic daisy. You can add it to your diet as a vegetable.
Previously, people ate this flower as a medicine for some diseases. This flower can treat stomach pain and several fevers. Nowadays, people eat it with tea for health problems.
The ancient Egyptians were the first to start the trend of eating this as an herbal remedy. Slowly, the tradition spread all over the world.
Arctic Daisy Taste
This edible arctic daisy tastes sweet. Some people from various regions eat this as a substitute for some fruits. As some medicines taste bitter, people eat this sweet flower as medicine as well as their nutrient supplements.
Sometimes the daisy may taste bitter first. That’s because of the place and the climate conditions. Moreover, It is better to eat it after boiling or cooking it. Furthermore, excess amounts of eating can cause health issues.
Arctic Daisy Uses
The arctic daisy is one of the most essential for daily life. Some of the uses of arctic daisies are:
- Medical use: since the 15th century, the plant has been considered a medicinal herb. Boiling the flower or the whole plant in water is good for fever. From the 17th century onwards, the plant was used for tuberculosis, coughs, and other skin problems.
- Food uses: You can use the flower as a food flavor. Sometimes it is mixed with drinks to improve the flavor and nutrients. The buds and leaves are used in the salad directly or for decorating.
- Other uses: People don’t admire the taste of the flower much. You can use the leaves and flowers for decorating a cake. Besides, it will give a good taste while mixing it with tea.
What Animals Eat Arctic Daisy?
The perennial plant arctic daisy blooms brightly twice or thrice a year. It is found in the arctic area, and the daisies are fond of cold climates. Besides, you can grow it in your garden to increase its beauty. But animals can cause trouble by eating it.
- Rabbits: The main concern of arctic daisy gardening is rabbits. Hence the daisies are fond of them. They can eat your daisy wholly if you don’t take proper care. In addition, Deers also eat this.
- Insects: Sucking insects are the ones who can pierce the flowers and leaves. Besides, Nematodes can eat the root of the arctic daisy.
What Did Native Americans Use Arctic Daisy for?
The first use of the arctic daisy was in the 15th century by the ancient Egyptians. Day by day, the widespread use is spread over many regions of the world. Although the arctic daisy is not so native to the native Americans, they still manage to find the proper use of it. Some of those are:
- Medicinal use: Native Americans used it for medical purposes in remedy for various diseases.
- Food Decoration: They used it as a decorative food material. Generally, while serving food, they used to put some daisy flowers on the side of the plate for decoration purposes.
- Washing sores: Native Americans also used the daisy to wash sores.
Is Arctic Daisy a Medicinal Plant? Medicinal Use of Arctic Daisy
Yes, the arctic daisy is a medical plant. At first, the flower was discovered and famous for its beauty. Correspondingly, it got popular for medical use in the 15th century onward. Some of its medicinal uses are:
1. Fever
This plant contains vitamin C, which helps stimulate the phagocytes. Interestingly, these phagocytes occur in a heat-free process and help to reduce the body temperature. This way, the fever will go down.
Do you know that vitamin C deficiency can cause more severe fever? Thus, undoubtedly this herb will be beneficial in treating fever.
2. Coughing
Arctic daisies are rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants are pretty helpful in the treatment of coughing. Also, the dietary vitamin C in this plant reacts reversely with coughing.
Mainly, this plant is unable to cure coughing entirely. But it can reduce the intensity and frequency of coughing. As a result, it gives relief from the coughing symptoms.
3. Broken bones
The roots of this plant are beneficial for treating broken bones. Ancient people used to use this plant’s roots for treating the fracture of bones.
In the 17th century, someone named it the bone flower. The name came because of its usefulness in broken bones.
4. Bleeding
Arctic daisies contain an amount of ascorbic acid. This reacts against the antigen of the tissue plasminogen activator. This activator antigen functions to reduce the blood clotting effect.
As the ascorbic acid present in this plant acts against this activator, platelets can clot on the wound surface. Therefore, they can slow down your bleeding.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
1. What temperature is too cold for daisies?
Daisies are cold-loving but have a limit to tolerating cold. Arctic daisies can tolerate 35°F. Below this level, it won’t survive long. However, various daisies have various tolerating levels.
2. Are arctic daisies poisonous to humans?
No, not at all. Though adults are out of risk, it can be poisonous to children and may cause skin blistering and rashes. Therefore, you should keep this plant away from the kids in your family.
3. How many hours of sun do arctic daisies need?
There is no estimation of the duration of the sunlight for arctic daisies. But in the full sun, the best bloom of flowers occurs. That’s why, when this plant is exposed to the sun for a longer time, the growth becomes rapid.
Conclusion
Arctic Daisy is one of the most beautiful flowers in this world. Its tiny green leaves and white flower with yellow in the center make it more attractive.
Many gardeners plant this flowering herb to increase the beauty of their gardens. You can grow this plant on the rocky or saline ground where the plant will get full sunlight.
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