There is an infinite variety of wild meadow flowers. Nature has a lot to offer here. It is often difficult for the layperson to correctly recognize individual species and to distinguish them from one another. Here we present 23 white meadow flowers.

In a nutshell

  • white marguerite, the most common meadow flower
  • Wildflowers attract insects
  • Meadow flowers also in fields. Fields, fallow land and roadsides

Meadow flower very adaptable

Meadow flowers are often referred to as "weeds" because they grow in meadows, fields and fields between the actual crops. They can also be found on wasteland, along roadsides, or on scree slopes. There they shine in a wide variety of colors and attract insects.

Types from A - F

Umbel milk star (Ornithogalum umbellatum)
Doldiger milk star

  • Flowering time: April to May
  • Growth form: herbaceous, spherical onion
  • Growth height: 10 to 30 cm
  • Flowers: Corymbs of 10 to 20 flowers, green stripes on the underside
  • Leaves: basal, linear, white median stripe
  • stem: erect
  • Specialities: often cultivated in gardens

Notice: The bulb of this meadow flower is poisonous to humans and animals.

German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
maiden flower, feverfew

  • Flowering period: May to August
  • Growth form: herbaceous, annual
  • Growth height: 15 to 40 cm
  • Flowers: loose umbels, yellow flower disc, white ray florets on the outside
  • Leaves: sessile, 3 to 5 cm long, lanceolate, pinnate
  • Stem: bare, erect, often branched
  • Specialties: fragrant
  • Confusion: odorless sea chamomile "false chamomile" (M. inodorum)

Annual Fleabane (Erigeron annus)

  • Flowering period: July to October
  • Growth form: herbaceous, annual
  • Growth height: 50 to 100 cm
  • Flowers: loose umbrella panicles, yellow flower disc, white ray florets on the outside
  • Leaves: lower leaves stalked, lanceolate, margin dentate, upper leaves sessile
  • Stem: erect, hairy, richly branched

Types of G - H

Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Daisies, daisies

  • Flowering period: February to November
  • Growth height: 5 to 15 cm
  • Growth form: herbaceous, bushy, persistent
  • Flower: 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, yellow flower disc, white ray florets on the outside
  • Leaves: 0.5 to 4 cm long, dense basal rosette, obovate in shape
  • stem: slightly hairy and leafless

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Meadow yarrow, field sheaf

  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Growth form: herbaceous, persistent, horizontal rhizomes
  • Growth height: 15 to 50 cm
  • Flowers: 4 to 5 mm wide flower heads, dense umbels
  • Leaves: oblong, lanceolate, pinnate, stem leaves sessile
  • Stem: erect, serrated, slightly hairy
  • Special features: slightly aromatic scent

Common marigold (Leucanthemum vulgare)
Meadow Marguerite, White Orchid

  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Growth form: herbaceous, persistent
  • Growth height: 20 to 50 cm
  • Flowers: 4 to 6 cm wide flower heads, yellow flower disc, white ray florets on the outside
  • Leaves: Lower leaves stalked, elongate-lanceolate, upper leaves sessile or semi-stem-clasping
  • Stem: erect, simple or branched, base slightly hairy

Catchfly (Silene vulgaris)
pigeon goiter

  • Flowering period: June to August
  • Growth habit: persistent
  • Growth height: 20 to 50 cm
  • Flowers: long-stalked, nodding, loose panicles, spherically inflated calyx
  • Leaves: linearly lanceolate, sessile, opposite, bluish green
  • Stem: erect or ascending, glabrous or slightly hairy

Grass lily (Anthericum liliago)
Clustered Grass Lily, Knotless Grass Lily

  • Flowering period: May to June
  • Growth form: herbaceous, perennial, rhizomes
  • Growth height: 30 to 60 cm
  • Flowers: 10 to 20 lily-like flowers, loose, racemose inflorescences
  • Leaves: up to 40 cm long, linear, basal
  • stem: erect, smooth, unbranched
  • Special features: loves sunny, dry meadows
  • Confusion: Branch grass lily (A.ramosum)

Autumn spiral orchid (Spiranthes spiralis)
Autumn turning ear, screw stand

  • Flowering period: August to September
  • Growth form: herbaceous, two underground tubers
  • Growth height: 10 to 30 cm
  • Flowers: uniform, twisted inflorescence, 25 individual flowers, lip slightly greenish on the inside
  • Leaves: lateral rosette at base of stem, 3 to 6 oval-lanceolate leaves
  • Stem: erect, slender, leafless
  • Special features: faint scent of vanilla

Notice: This meadow flower is under strict protection. It occurs in southern Saxony-Anhalt, in the Franconian Jura, on the Frankenhöhe, Alpine region and in the foothills of the Swabian Jura.

Types of K - S

Little Meadowsweet (Filipendula vulgaris)
Bulbous Meadowsweet, Bulbous Meadow

  • Flowering period: May to July
  • Growth form: bulbous, thickened, woody rootstocks
  • Growth height: 30 to 80 cm
  • Flowers: short-stalked, terminal, cymes
  • Leaves: basal rosette, stalked, up to 40 cm long
  • stem: erect, somewhat branched

Notice: This meadow flower is mainly found in damp meadows.

Carrot (Daucus carota)
Wild carrot, common carrot

  • Flowering period: June to September
  • Growth form: herbaceous, biennial, thick roots
  • Growth height: 30 to 100 cm
  • Flowers: dense, flat umbrella umbels, reddish to black "carrot blossom" in the middle
  • Leaves: lanceolate, pinnate, margin serrate
  • Stem: erect, grooved, hairy, upper part branched

Nodding Catchfly (Silene nutans)

  • Flowering period: May to August
  • Growth form: herbaceous, persistent
  • Growth height: 30 to 80 cm
  • Flowers: nodding panicle flowers, brown-violet calyx with glandular hairs, 5 two-part petals
  • leaves: standing in rosettes, slightly tomentose, lanceolate
  • stem: simply ascending, pubescent at the base, sticky

Notice: The flowers of this meadow flower only open in the evening and exude a pleasant scent.

Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

  • Flowering time: February to March
  • Growth form: persistent, oval, black-brown onion
  • Growth height: 10 to 30 cm
  • Flower: nodding single flower, green spot at the lower end
  • Leaves: linear, flat, up to 20 cm long, in pairs
  • stem: erect
  • Special features: prefers meager meadows, riparian forests

Silver thistle (Carlina acaulis)

  • Flowering period: June to September
  • Growth form: perennial, taproot
  • Growth height: 5 to 30 cm
  • Flowers: Baskets with brownish tubular flowers, elongated, shiny bracts form a wreath, silvery white
  • Leaves: Rosette of leaves, deeply feathered with prickly tips
  • stem: almost stalkless
  • Special features: protected!

Marsh Sweetheart (Parnassia palustris)
student roses

Source: K.vliet, Parnassia - Parnassia palustris, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Flowering period: June to August
  • Growth form: short, branched rootstock
  • Growth height: 10 to 30 cm
  • Flowers: Single flowers, terminal, 5 petals, veined brown
  • Leaves: rosette-like, short-stalked, ovoid to heart-shaped
  • stem: erect
  • Special features: prefers wet meadows, boggy soil

Types of T - Z

White Campion (Silene alba)
White night carnation

  • Flowering period: May to September
  • Growth form: biennial, herbaceous
  • Growth height: 30 to 100 cm
  • Flower: terminal, pear-shaped, bulbous calyx, secondary corolla in the inflorescence, 5 petals
  • Leaves: smooth-edged, lanceolate, up to 10 cm long
  • stem: forked, branched, upper part downy hairy
  • Specialties: Night bloomers, pleasantly scented

White Narcissus (Narcissus poeticus)

  • Flowering time: April to May
  • Growth form: oval, underground bulb
  • Growth height: 20 to 30 cm
  • Flowers: Individual flowers, 4 to 5 cm in diameter, white bracts. yellowish-white accessory crown in the middle, edged orange-red
  • Leaves: 2 to 3 pieces, linear, grey-green
  • stem: erect, brownish at base, membranous sheath
  • Specialties: intensively scented
  • Confusion: Narcissus radiiflorus

Willow plantain (Plantago media)
medium plantain

Source: AnRo0002, 20140723Plantago media6, edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Flowering period: May to July
  • Growth form: herbaceous, persistent
  • Growth height: 20 to 40 cm
  • Flowers: Cylindrical spikes, silver-white corolla, lilac-colored stamens
  • Leaves: basal rosette, velvety hairy, elliptic
  • stem: erect

White clover (Trifolium repens)

  • Flowering period: May to September
  • Growth form: perennial, bare, creeping runners
  • Growth height: 10 to 20 cm
  • flowers: dense, spherical, terminal
  • Leaves: Long-stalked, obovate, trifoliate, whitish markings in the middle
  • stem: creeping

Meadow Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)

  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Growth form: herbaceous, strong rhizomes
  • Growth height: 30 to 150 cm
  • Flower: compound umbel, 5 petals, marginal florets enlarged, numerous bracts
  • leaves: lobed to pinnate
  • stem: grooved, bristly hairy

Meadow bedstraw (Galium mollugo)

  • Flowering period: May to September
  • Growth form: herbaceous, long underground runners
  • Growth height: 25 to 100 cm
  • Flowers: Pyramidal panicle, many small flowers, flower diameter 2 to 3 mm
  • Leaves: linear, light green, leathery, 6 to 8 leaves in whorls
  • stem: four-edged, mostly branched

Notice: The root of this meadow flower contains red dye. It was formerly used for dyeing.

Meadow chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris)

  • Flowering time: April to July
  • Growth form: herbaceous, perennial, sometimes biennial
  • Growth height: 50 to 130 cm
  • Flowers: small, 7 to 10 radiating, umbrella-shaped umbels, surrounded by bracts
  • Leaves: long-stalked, pinnate, oval-lanceolate
  • stem: corrugated, erect, hollow
  • Special features: pungent, aromatic smell

Meadowfoam (Cardamine pratensis)

  • Flowering time: April to July
  • Growth form: herbaceous, tuberous, thickened rhizome
  • Growth height: 15 to 60 cm
  • Flowers: umbels, four petals white to pink, four green sepals
  • Leaves: Rosette, basal, unpaired, pinnate
  • Stem: erect, hollow, base slightly hairy
  • Special features: frequently small piles of foam on the stem, prefers moist meadows

frequently asked Questions

Are all wild meadow flowers protected?

No. However, there are orchids or orchid-like plants among them. These are mostly rare and are under nature protection. They must not be picked or dug up.

Can meadow flowers also be grown in the garden?

Yes. Seeds for local wild and meadow flowers are available directly from specialist retailers. This is a mix of flowers. This creates magnificent colorful flower meadows. These attract a wide variety of insects. Some meadow or wild flowers are already cultivated in the garden, such as snowdrops or umbelliferae.

How can a good flower sage seed be recognized?

Only native wild flowers may be included, no varieties modified by breeding and no admixture of grasses. Furthermore, a precise indication of the types contained and the respective quantities should be visible on the label.

Category:

Garden plants