Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Greater Tickseed - Coreopsis major   Walter
Members of Asteraceae:
Members of Coreopsis with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Asterales » Family Asteraceae
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AuthorWalter
DistributionMountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, and a few middle Coastal Plain sites with Piedmont-like affinities (in the southwestern counties).

VA to southern OH and KY, south to northern FL and southeastern LA; disjunct to western LA.
AbundanceGenerally common to often very common; typically the most frequently seen Coreopsis over the western 2/3 of the state.
HabitatDry to mesic woodlands of many kinds, including oak-hickory-dogwood and Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass; forested slopes and ledges, openings, glades, barrens, roadsides.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting May-July. Whether single or in a group, this is a very handsome plant and easily identified owing to its "whorled leaves".
IdentificationThe stems are usually 2-3 feet tall, but 1-2 feet tall where burned regularly. Leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, but each is divided into 3 segments and so leaves look to be in whorls of 6. Each stem produces several erect branches with terminal heads, the rays about 8, yellow, and without teeth.
Taxonomic CommentsNarrow-leaved plants have been variously interpreted as var. rigida or var. stellata; their status, along with that of C. delphiniifolia, needs additional work.

For excellent drawings of all species (except those recently described) and range maps (although now out-of-date), see the monograph by Smith (1976).
Other Common Name(s)Forest Tickseed, Greater Coreopsis
State RankS5
Global RankG5
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B.A. SorrieSame data; stem leaves. AnsonPhoto_natural
B.A. SorriePee Dee NWR, piedmont pine flatwoods, June 2015. AnsonPhoto_natural
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