Plant of the Month: Lanceleaf Tickseed

Presented by Melina Carson
October 10, 2022

Botanical name: Coreopsis lanceolata
Common name(s): Lanceleaf Tickseed, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Lance-leaved Coreopsis, Sand Coreopsis, Tickseed, Longstalk Coreopsis
Family: Asteraceae (Aster)

[MUS—EASY AND FUN]

[MELINA] Hello, everybody. This month’s plant is the Coreopsis lanceolata, commonly known as the Lanceleaf Tickseed. This presentation will highlight the common names, distribution, characteristics, planting conditions, gardening tips, uses, benefits, and was written by Brittney Barnett. And my name is Melina Carson.

Coreopsis lanceolata is from the family Asteraceae, or the Aster family. You may hear many common names including Tickseed, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Lance-leaved Coreopsis, Lanceleaf Tickseed, Sand Coreopsis, and Longstalk Coreopsis. Coreopsis is derived from Greek words “koris” meaning bug and “opsis” meaning view. Tickseed simply refers to its seeds that resemble ticks.

Right off the bat you can see how widely distributed Tickseed is. On the right you can see that the light green section of East Texas is a native region and it is very commonly found. However, it is present throughout the United States, parts of Canada, and Mexico. The native habitats include open woodlands, prairies, plains, meadows, pastures, and savannas. And it occurs naturally in moist sandhills, marshes, and along swamp edges.

Going over some characteristics, you can immediately see how vibrant and yellow they are. They are an herbaceous perennial that forms in clumps and are a native flower. The mature plant is one to three feet tall and about one to two feet wide. Their leaves are narrow, grass-green in color, and about three to four inches in length, oppositely arranged, and may or may not be hairy. Basal leaves are divided while upper leaves are undivided in lanceolate in shape. The vibrant flowers are about one to three inches in size and one row of seven to twenty petals. On average, however, eight petals surround a yellow center. Petals are also yellow and are notched at apex. Their seeds are dark brown, winged, and curved to almost semi-circular. Again, the common name of Tickseed comes from the fact that the seeds look like ticks. You can see this in the photo with the quarter.

The ideal planting conditions require a soil texture of either loam, sand, or shallow rocky areas. They typically stay within a neutral pH range, but can also survive some acidic soils. They do require good drainage, moisture, or occasionally dry. Coreopsis prefers full sun, but will tolerate light shade. Heavily shaded areas produce plants with fewer flowers and taller stems as a result of lack of sun. And their bloom time is mid to late spring to early summer.

If you choose to plant Coreopsis in your garden, you will find that they are very adaptable, and they do well in gardens and landscape settings. It does, however, need to be maintained because they are a prolific self-seeder that may become weedy. Deadheading of spent flowers will help control the self-seeding and encourage additional blooms. If you notice that they are sprawling out, you can cut them back quite a bit. About every two to three years, you can divide them to maintain the robustness. And you may also notice crown rot if grown in overly moist, poorly drained soils.

They have an array of uses and benefits. They attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, as well as songbirds. Goldfinches, other small birds, and small wildlife commonly eat the seeds. It attracts multiple species of butterflies, including skippers, buckeyes, painted ladies, and the occasional Monarch. It also tolerates deer, drought, dry soil, heat, humidity, and poor soil conditions. Coreopsis overall is a sturdy, beautiful plant that is beneficial to many species across the U.S.

Here are the sources that you can follow for more information. Thank you to Brittney for this presentation. Have a good day everybody.

[MUS—AND THAT’S IT]