Blackfoot Daisy

Melampodium leucanthum

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Blackfoot Daisy is a perennial native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 0.5–1 ft tall and 1–1.5 ft wide. It wants full sun and very low water, and handles caliche soil. Blooms white and yellow in Mar–Nov. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Deer rarely browse it. Good for bees, birds and butterflies.

Will it grow in your yard?

Enter your ZIP. The finder checks Blackfoot Daisy against your microclimate, then ranks it against your sun, your watering and deer pressure.

From our guide

Village of the Hills

Low mounding perennial covered in small white daisies with yellow centers, blooming spring through fall.

Why it works here

Blooms nearly all season on almost no water, and stays small enough for a rock garden or bed edge.

Watch out

Short-lived, three to five years, and demands perfect drainage. Kill it faster by watering it.

The facts

8 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun (6+ hrs)
Water: Very low
Height: 0.5–1 ft
Spread: 1–1.5 ft
Bloom: Mar–Nov · white, yellow
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes caliche · recorded on calcareous, caliche, dry, limestone, sand, well drained
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it. Rarely touched
Wildlife: Supports bees, birds and butterflies

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandLimestone Cut Plain

3,680 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

2.5–4.5 inch pots1 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.