©Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Family
Asteraceae
Botanical Name
Coreopsis
Plant Common Name
Coreopsis, Tickseed
General Description
A genus of bright flowered composites native to the Americas, Coreopsis comprises many garden-worthy herbaceous annuals and perennials commonly called tickseeds. There are an estimated 30 non-hybrid species and quite a few hybrid species. Coreopsis is closely related to the genus Bidens, in fact many African species once placed under the name Coreopsis are now formally recognized as Bidens species. Wild tickseed populations exist in diverse environments, from open coastal lands and meadows to montane regions.
Habit and height vary from species to species, but most Coreopsis form upright clumps that may or may not spread by rhizomes or stolons. Leaf color comes in all shades of green and shape ranges from lanceolate to deeply lobed or thread-like. The daisy flowers are shades of yellow, sometimes with highlights or maroon, burgundy or red, and have pinked or incised ray tips. The flowers are insect pollinated and followed by dry, brown seedheads filled with seeds that often cling to clothing; this is why they're called "tickseeds."
Culture is species dependent, but generally speaking more Coreopsis grow best full to partial sun and well-drained soil with average fertility and neutral pH. Many are tolerant of heat, humidity and limited drought and few can withstand wet soils. Deadheading tends to extend the bloom time of garden specimens.
Some of the better known cultivated tickseeds are the hybrid 'Moonbeam', with its profuse pale yellow blooms and fine foliage, and the colorful rose-flowered beauties in the Limerock Series. Tickseeds are ideal for flower beds, formal or informal. Long-stemmed forms make fine cut flowers.
