Melampodium Leucanthum, Blackfoot Daisy

The large white flowers of melampodium leucanthum have 8, 9 or 10 ray petals around a yellow, protruding center of many tiny disc florets, and they bloom at the end of lightly-branched stems between 1 and 2 feet in height. The white petals overlap about half way along their length; they are toothed at the tip and curve back slightly at the end. When fully open, the petals bend back a little below the plane. Leaves are narrow, with blunt-pointed tips and a prominent, lighter-colored midvein. The plant grows in hot, arid locations, from the Sonoran Desert of south Arizona east to the southern Great Plains.