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Coreopsis leavenworthii Torr. & A.Gray
Leavenworth's Tickseed
Florida native
A common wildflower of wet flatwoods, ditches and disturbed sites throughout nearly all of Florida. Also occurs in two south Alabama counties.
Coreopsis is the official Florida state wildflower.
A perennial growing up to 1.5m (5ft.) tall with slender glabrous stems that branch in the upper part of the plant. The flowers are terminal on the branches and have yellow ray florets and dark disks. Flowers can appear throughout the year. Leaves are opposite, narrow and may be lobed or unlobed. Fruit is an achene with conspicuous awns.
This species is named for Melines Conkling Leavenworth (1796-1862) an army surgeon stationed at Fort King near Tampa during the Second Seminole Indian War. He was also a botanist who collected in the southeastern United States.
More information on Coreopsis leavenworthii can be found in this Florida Native Plant Society Native Plant Owners Manual
There are more photos of Leavenworth's coreopsis on the Green Metalic Bee page.
Coreopsis leavenworthii is a member of the Asteraceae - Aster family.
Other species of the Coreopsis genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Coreopsis floridana - FLORIDA TICKSEED
Coreopsis gladiata - COASTALPLAIN TICKSEED
Coreopsis lanceolata - LANCELEAF TICKSEED
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 19, 2024
