''Coreopsis'' () is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. Common names include calliopsis and tickseed, a name shared with various other plants.

Description

These plants range from in height. The flowers are usually yellow with a toothed tip, but can also be yellow-and-red bicolor or pink. They have showy flower heads with involucral

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s in two distinct series of eight each, the outer being commonly connate at the base. The flat fruits are small and dry and look like insects. There are nearly 40 species of ''Coreopsis'', all of which are native to

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

, Central, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. The name ''Coreopsis'' is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

words (), meaning "

bedbug Bed bugs are parasitic insects from the genus ''Cimex'', which are micropredators that feed on blood, usually at night. Their bites can result in a number of health impacts, including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptom ...

", and (), meaning "view", referring to the shape of the

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...

Species

39 species are currently accepted by ''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

''. *''

Coreopsis aristulata ''Coreopsis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Common names include calliopsis and tickseed, a name shared with various tickseed, other plants. Description These plants range from in height. The flowers are usually ye ...

'' *'' Coreopsis auriculata'' *'' Coreopsis bakeri'' *'' Coreopsis basalis'' *'' Coreopsis bolanosana'' *'' Coreopsis breviligulata'' *'' Coreopsis buchii'' *'' Coreopsis canescentifolia'' *'' Coreopsis falcata'' *'' Coreopsis floridana'' *'' Coreopsis gladiata'' *'' Coreopsis glaucodes'' *'' Coreopsis grandiflora'' *'' Coreopsis imbricata'' *'' Coreopsis integra'' *'' Coreopsis integrifolia'' *'' Coreopsis intermedia'' *'' Coreopsis killipii'' *'' Coreopsis lanceolata'' *'' Coreopsis leavenworthii'' *'' Coreopsis linifolia'' *'' Coreopsis longula'' *'' Coreopsis maysillesii'' *'' Coreopsis mollicula'' *'' Coreopsis multifida'' *'' Coreopsis nudata'' *'' Coreopsis nuecensis'' *'' Coreopsis nuecensoides'' *'' Coreopsis paludosa'' *'' Coreopsis palustris'' *'' Coreopsis peruviana'' *'' Coreopsis piurana'' *'' Coreopsis poloe'' *'' Coreopsis pubescens'' *'' Coreopsis rosea'' *'' Coreopsis spectabilis'' *'' Coreopsis teotepecensis'' *'' Coreopsis tinctoria'' *'' Coreopsis wrightii''

Formerly placed here

* '' Bidens alba'' (L.) DC. (as ''C. alba'' L.) * '' Bidens aristosa'' (Michx.) Britton (as ''C. aristosa'' Michx.) * '' Bidens aurea'' (Aiton) Sherff (as ''C. aurea'' Aiton) * '' Bidens mitis'' (Michx.) Sherff (as ''C. mitis'' Michx.) * '' Bidens trichosperma'' (Michx.) Britton (as ''C. trichosperma'' Michx.) * '' Cosmos bipinnatus'' Cav. (as ''C. formosa'' Bonato) * '' Cosmos parviflorus'' (Jacq.) Pers. (as ''C. parviflora'' Jacq.) * '' Electranthera cuneifolia'' (as ''C. cuneifolia'' ) * '' Electranthera mutica'' (as ''C. mutica'' ) * '' Epilepis rudis'' (as ''C. rudis'' (Benth.) Hemsl.) * '' Iostephane heterophylla'' (Cav.) Hemsl. (as ''C. heterophylla'' Cav.) *'' Leptosyne bigelovii'' (as ''C. bigelovii'' ) *'' Leptosyne californica'' (as ''C. californica'' ) *'' Leptosyne calliopsidea'' (as ''C. calliopsidea'' ) *'' Leptosyne douglasii'' (as ''C. douglasii'' ) *'' Leptosyne gigantea'' (as ''C. gigantea'' ) *'' Leptosyne hamiltonii'' (as ''C. hamiltonii'' ) *'' Leptosyne maritima'' (as ''C. maritima'' ) *'' Leptosyne stillmanii'' (as ''C. stillmanii'' ) * '' Simsia amplexicaulis'' (Cav.) Pers. (as ''C. amplexicaulis'' Cav.) * '' Simsia foetida'' (Cav.) S.F.Blake (as ''C. foetida'' Cav.) * '' Thelesperma filifolium'' (Hook.) A.Gray (as ''C. filifolia'' Hook.) * ''

Verbesina alternifolia ''Verbesina alternifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is commonly known as wingstem or yellow ironweed. It is native to North America. The name "wingstem" refers to the Petiole (botany), petioles of the leaves, ...

'' (L.) Britton ex Kearney (as ''C. alternifolia'' L.) * '' Verbesina occidentalis'' ( L.)

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

(as ''C. alata'' Cav. Pursh)

Taxonomy

''Coreopsis'' is a variable genus closely related to '' Bidens''. In fact, neither ''Coreopsis'' nor ''Bidens'', as defined in the 20th century, is strictly

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

. ''Coreopsis'' is best described as

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

. Previously (1936), ''Coreopsis'' was classified into 11 sections and 114 species, but the African species were subsequently reclassified as ''Bidens'', leaving the North and South American species, some 75–80 in all, under ''Coreopsis''. 45 species are in the 11 North American sections, and the remaining 35 are in the South American section ''Pseudoagarista''. The North American species fall into two broad groups, with 5 sections and 12 species in Mexico and North America and the remaining 5 sections and 26 species in Eastern North America. One group which does seem to be monophyletic consists of

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

species from North America, including five sections of ''Coreopsis'', '' Bidens coronata'' and '' Bidens tripartita'', and the genus '' Thelesperma'' (five species).

accepts the genera '' Anacis'' , '' Electranthera'' , '' Epilepis'' , '' Leptosyne'' , and '' Silphidium'' , which other authorities, including the Global Compositae Database, treat as synonyms of ''Coreopsis''. Plants of the World Online treats ''Selleophytum'' as a synonym of ''Coreopsis''.

Sections

One classification (GRIN) of the genus consists of eleven sections, shown by

cladistic Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

relationships with number of species in parentheses. :''Coreopsis'' sect. ''Pseudoagarista'' (35)

Section Anathysana

* '' Coreopsis cyclocarpa'' S.F.Blake

Section Calliopsis

* '' Coreopsis bicolor'' * '' Coreopsis leavenworthii'' Torr. & A.Gray – Leavenworth's tickseed * '' Coreopsis paludosa'' M.E.Jones * '' Coreopsis tinctoria'' Nutt. – plains coreopsis

Section Coreopsis

* '' Coreopsis auriculata'' L. – lobed tickseed * '' Coreopsis bakeri'' E.E.Schill. * '' Coreopsis basalis'' (A.Dietr.) S.F.Blake – goldenmane tickseed * '' Coreopsis grandiflora'' Hogg ex Sweet – large-flowered tickseed * '' Coreopsis intermedia'' Sherff – goldenwave tickseed * '' Coreopsis lanceolata'' L. – lance coreopsis, lance-leaf tickseed * '' Coreopsis nuecensis'' A.Heller – crown tickseed * '' Coreopsis nuecensoides'' E.B.Sm. – Rio Grande tickseed * '' Coreopsis pubescens'' Elliott – star tickseed * '' Coreopsis wrightii'' (A.Gray) H.M.Parker – rock tickseed

Section Electra

* '' Coreopsis cuneifolia'' Greenm. * '' Coreopsis mexicana'' * '' Coreopsis mutica'' DC.

Section Eublepharis

* '' Coreopsis floridana'' E.B.Sm. – Florida tickseed * '' Coreopsis gladiata'' Walter – coastalplain tickseed * '' Coreopsis integrifolia'' Poir. – fringeleaf tickseed * '' Coreopsis linifolia'' Nutt. – Texas tickseed * '' Coreopsis nudata'' Nutt. – Georgia tickseed * '' Coreopsis palustris'' Sorrie – swamp tickseed * '' Coreopsis rosea'' Nutt. – pink tickseed

Section Gyrophyllum (syn. Palmatae)

* '' Coreopsis delphiniifolia'' Lam. – larkspurleaf tickseed * '' Coreopsis major'' Walter – greater tickseed * '' Coreopsis palmata'' Nutt. – stiff tickseed * '' Coreopsis pulchra'' F.E.Boynton – woodland tickseed * '' Coreopsis tripteris'' L. – tall tickseed * '' Coreopsis verticillata'' L. – whorled tickseed

Section Leptosyne

* '' Coreopsis douglasii'' (DC.) H.M.Hall – Douglas's tickseed * '' Coreopsis californica'' (Nutt.) H.Sharsm. – California tickseed * '' Coreopsis stillmanii'' (A.Gray) S.F.Blake – Stillman's tickseed

Section Pseudoagarista

South America, 35 species * '' Coreopsis mcvaughii'' D.J.Crawford * '' Coreopsis petrophila'' A.Gray * '' Coreopsis petrophiloides'' B.L.Rob. & Greenm. * '' Coreopsis spectabilis'' A.Gray

Section Pugiopappus

* '' Coreopsis bigelovii'' ( A.Gray) Voss – Bigelow's tickseed * '' Coreopsis calliopsidea'' (DC.) A.Gray – leafstem tickseed * '' Coreopsis hamiltonii'' (Elmer) H. Sharsm. – Mount Hamilton tickseed

Section Silphidium

* '' Coreopsis latifolia'' Michx. – broadleaf tickseed

Section Tuckermannia

* '' Coreopsis gigantea'' (Kellogg) H.M.Hall – giant coreopsis * '' Coreopsis maritima'' (Nutt.) Hook.f. – sea dahlia

Distribution and habitat

North American ''Coreopsis'' can be found in two habitats in the wild, growing along roadsides and open fields throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. In this environment the plant will self-sow.

Ecology

''Coreopsis'' species are a source of

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

and

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

for insects. The species is known to provide food to caterpillars of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species, including '' Coleophora acamtopappi''.

Cultivation

''Coreopsis'' can grow in a garden as a border plant, or in a container, preferring well-drained soil. Deadheading the flowers ensures it does not become weedy. Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

s will identify what soil and climate is preferred for different cultivars or species. Notable species found in cultivation are ''C. grandiflora'' and ''C. verticillata'', as well as their various

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s. The sunny, summer-blooming, daisy-like flowers are popularly planted in gardens to attract butterflies. Both annual and

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

types are grown in the home garden (USDA hardiness zone 7a/6b). In the Mid-Atlantic region, insects such as bees, hover flies, and wasps are often observed visiting the flowers.

Culture

All ''Coreopsis'' species were designated the state wildflower of the U.S. state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in 1991. In the

language of flowers Floriography (language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in tradition ...

, ''Coreopsis'' means to be always cheerful, while ''Coreopsis arkansa'' in particular stands for love at first sight.

References

External links

Flora of North America: Coreopsis
* * {{Authority control Asteraceae genera Flora of the Americas Taxa described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Symbols of Florida