This wonderful yellow/golden flower is a delight to all who see it. Greater tickseed or greater coreopsis has flowers and tall stems that are larger than other species. This common wildflower is native to sandy or rocky slopes. hills, fields, open woodlands, thickets, and roadsides in the mid-eastern to the southeastern U.S. It is best naturalized in native wildflower gardens, meadows or prairies. and is a good plant for areas with poor, dry soil It tends to sprawl if the soil is too fertile. Although it is attractive in borders, its self-seeding tendencies should be controlled by deadheading spent flowers and division may be needed every 2-3 years to maintain robustness. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Crown rot may occur if grown in moist, poorly drained soils.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire; Undulate
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Wood tickseed has opposite, tripartite (three leaflets), sessile lower mid-stem leaves are paired along the stems giving the appearance of being in whorls of 6 leaves. Smaller upper leaves are entire. The edges are not toothed and may be slightly wavy. The leaves are stalkless. This plant appears to have a whorl of six leaves. The stem and leaves have fine hairs.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Wood tickseed features large, daisy-like flowers (2" diameter) with bright yellow rays and yellow (infrequently with a reddish tinge) center disks. The flowers have seven or more bright yellow petals. Untoothed ray flowers are pointed at the tips. The tips of petals are normally not notched. Flowers appear in loose clusters from late spring to late summer on erect, branching-at-the-top stems typically rising 2-3' (less frequently to 4') tall. The outer bracts are narrow. Blooms from May to July.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Black; Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Seeds are dark brown/black, shiny and oblong. Displays from July to October
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern US
Distribution
native to the eastern United States, from Louisiana to Virginia and as far inland as Indiana and Ohio
Wildlife value
Attractive to butterflies and songbirds eat the seeds.