''Coreopsis verticillata'' is a North American

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

tickseed Tickseed (also tick-seed and tick seed) is a common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on th ...

in the sunflower family. It is found primarily in the east-central

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

south to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, with isolated populations as far west as Oklahoma and as far north as

Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The

common names In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

are whorled tickseed, whorled coreopsis, thread-leaved tickseed, thread leaf coreopsis, and pot-of-gold.

Description

''Coreopsis verticillata'' is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

that grows tall and about wide, although as it spreads laterally by

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

, this width can be exceeded. The stems are wiry. The flower heads are up to across, and both the

disc floret The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae we ...

s and

ray floret The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

s are bright yellow. The flowers are produced abundantly in clusters from midsummer to fall.

Habitat

''Coreopsis verticillata'' can commonly be found in dry, thin woods and open pinelands, preferring sites with full sun exposure. It can tolerate drought, poor soil, extreme heat, and neglect.

Horticultural cultivation

''Coreopsis verticillata'' and its horticultural

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s are not difficult to grow and hence make good starter plants for beginning gardeners in the U.S. They have a long flowering season and are relatively free from pests and diseases. They attract butterflies and are deer resistant. They can be grown in hanging baskets and containers (where irrigation will be necessary), or as border plants. Carolyn Singer, in ''"Deer in My Garden",'' reports that ''C. verticillata'' is a good companion plant with other summer-blooming perennials requiring similar conditions. The following notable cultivars have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

: * 'Grandiflora' - taller than other cultivars, with slightly larger flowers * 'Moonbeam' - pale, sulphur-yellow flowers, slightly shorter growth, chosen as the 1992 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. When this cultivar was first introduced to the market, demand outstripped supply in some localities, such was its popularity. * 'Zagreb' - shorter than the species, bright yellow flowers

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q589509 verticillata Flora of Northern America Garden plants of North America Butterfly food plants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus