10 Plants That Look Like Daisies

Daisies (Bellis perennis) are some of the most recognizable flowers on earth. They are native to Europe and grow up to two feet tall. Daisies usually have yellow or brown centers and 15 to 30 white petals. There are also some other colors in which you can find daisies. Furthermore, there are many daisy varieties.

But despite there being many daisy varieties, there are also plenty of other plants that produce daisy-like flowers and foliage. This might make you wonder if your new plant is a daisy. Some of these plants with daisy-like flowers include:

• Purple coneflower – purple petals and a black center
• False sunflower – yellow petals and a black center
• Blanket flower – orange and red petals with a brown center
• Aster – purple petals and a yellow center
• Tickseed – yellow and brown petals with a brownish-yellow center
• German chamomile – white petals and a yellow center
• Cineraria – red and yellow petals with a reddish-brown center
• Forget-me-not – blue petals and a yellow center
• Black-eyed Susan – yellow petals and a black and yellow center
• Ice plant – pink flowers and a yellow center

If you’re wondering if the plant in your backyard is a daisy or a lookalike, continue reading. We’ll discuss the similarities and differences between these 10 daisy alternatives and traditional daisies.

Related: Are Daisies Poisonous?

1. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

The first plant on this list that looks like a daisy is a purple coneflower. Coneflowers grow between 2 and 4 feet tall and have large, showy flowers. Each flower has between 15 and 20 pink or purple petals and reddish-brown centers. The centers are slightly pointed and shaped like a strawberry.

The center of a coneflower is slightly spiky, almost like a pincushion. Coneflowers have small, oval leaves with serrated edges. The leaves are covered in fine hair, just like daisy leaves. Purple coneflowers are a great alternative to common daisies, and it’s easy to mistake them for a daisy variety.

2. False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Another plant that looks like the common daisy is a false sunflower. As the name suggests, false sunflowers also look remarkably similar to sunflowers, but they are much smaller. False sunflowers are native to North America and have bright yellow petals and a brownish-black or dark yellow center.

Each flower has about 30 long petals. What’s interesting about a false sunflower is its center consists of many cone-shaped stamens attracting insects. In addition, false sunflowers have triangular leaves that are darker than daisy leaves and have more visible veins.

Related: 9 Plants That Look Like Sunflowers

3. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)

The next plant with daisy-like flowers is the blanket flower plant. The blanket flower shrub gets its name because of the thick foliage and dense flower growth. Blanket flowers have orange petals with a slim yellow end to create a yellow border. The center of a blanket flower is brown on the outer edge with a lighter middle.

The leaves are a significant difference between a blanket flower and a common daisy. Blanket flowers have elongated, smooth leaves, unlike the leaves of a common daisy. Blanket flowers grow 36 inches tall, much smaller than a common daisy.

4. Asters (Aster alpinus)

Asters have light purple petals and bright yellow centers. Asters have 15 to 20 light purple long, narrow petals. Asters have yellow centers with their stamens towards the center’s outer edge. An aster plant grows between 1 and 6 feet tall, about the same size as a common daisy.

Some aster varieties have leaves resembling the common daisy, while others have slimmer, smooth leaves. Aster flowers also have slimmer petals than daisy flowers. Asters are a great alternative to daisies and can make a beautiful companion plant too.

5. Tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata)

Tickseed is another fun alternative to the common daisy. The flowers are smaller than daisies. They also have 20 to 30 petals. What makes tickseeds unique is that some varieties are multicolored. Each petal is bright yellow on the outside and brown towards the center.

The center of these flowers is also brown with yellow specks. Other tickseed varieties are a uniform yellow color with yellow centers. A tickseed plant grows up to 2 feet tall. Tickseed leaves are slimmer than common daisy leaves. However, they are covered in fuzz, just like daisy leaves.

Tickseed flowers also grow as dense on their shrubs as daisies, which makes it easy to confuse them with each other.

6. German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)

German chamomile flowers look like mini daisies. However, the flowers are a lot smaller than daisies. Each flower has 15 to 20 white petals and a bright yellow center. The center is quite large and stands out above the petals. German chamomile is edible and is often used for medicinal purposes.

The German chamomile plant is generally smaller than a common daisy plant. They grow about 1 or 2 feet tall. Unlike a daisy, the German chamomile has thin leaves and stems. The leaves of German chamomile look more like fennel than a daisy. Considering how similar the flowers look, however, people often mistake them for daisies.

Related: 9 Plants That Look Like Chamomile

7. Cineraria (Pericallis × hybrida)

Cineraria is another interesting alternative to common daisies. There are different varieties of cinerarias, and many of them are two-toned. One variety has petals with a reddish-brown edge and a white center. The center of the flower is also the same reddish-brown color.

Other varieties have purple, blue, or pink edges that lighten and turn white towards the middle.

Cineraria flowers have a dense shrub. Each flower has 10 to 15 petals that look precisely like daisy flowers. However, Cineraria plants are much smaller than daisies. They grow only about 12 inches tall. Therefore, cineraria plants are the perfect indoor alternative to daisies.

8. Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis arvensis)

For another alternative to a daisy, remember the forget-me-not. These tiny blue flowers also look like mini-daisies. Each flower has pale blue petals and yellow centers. Unlike daisies, however, forget-me-nots only have five petals on each flower.

Although the flowers are structurally different from daisies, they resemble them on some level. However, forget-me-nots are much smaller than daisies, growing a maximum of 16 inches tall. This makes a forget-me-not another perfect indoor alternative to daisies.

9. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)

The black-eyed Susan is yet another yellow alternative to common daisies. These plants grow between 1 and 3 feet tall. A black-eyed Susan has brightly colored yellow petals. Each flower has between 15 and 20 petals, which is another resemblance to daisies.

The center of a black-eyed Susan is black. Some varieties have yellow stamens, which look like specks in the center of the flower. Black-eyed Susan plants have dark green oval-shaped leaves. The leaves are smoother than daisy leaves. They are also bigger than daisy leaves.

But the flowers are the same size as daisy flowers, making them look like daisies. So black-eyed Susans are a great alternative to common daisies.

10. Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi)

The final plant on this list that looks like a daisy is the ice plant. Ice plants are bright purple. The petals have an ombre effect and get slightly lighter towards the center. Ice plants have much finer petals than daisies. They also have bright yellow centers that make the flowers look even brighter.

Although the flowers don’t look precisely like daisies, they have a similar structure. Ice plants are much smaller than daisies. They grow only 6 to 8 inches tall. Unlike daisies, ice plants are creepers and not shrubs. They also have different leaves. Ice plants have short, succulent-like leaves with sharp edges.