Leavenworth's Tickseed
Common Names
Tickseed and Leavenworth tickseed.
Latin Names
Coreopsis leavenworthii
Family
Leavenworth’s tickseed is in the Asteraceae, or aster, Family.
Form
Leavenworth’s tickseed is an annual wildflower that grows to a height of about 1 to 3 feet when in bloom.
Leaves
Opposite, entire, and simple. The leaves of the upper plant stems are linear to oblanceolate in shape.
The leaves become more abundant lower down the stem although it does not generally form a prominent rosette of leaves at the base like some other coreopsis do.
Flowers
Solid yellow flowers with a brownish center. The flowers appear all year but are most abundant during late spring and summer.
Habitat
Coreopsis leavenworthii is a commonly seen wildflower found growing in wet flatwoods, wet pinelands, disturbed sites, roadside ditches and fields.
Native Range
Endemic to Florida. Coreopsis leavenworthii is found from north Florida south throughout the Keys. It is native to Alabama and Florida.
Grows in zones 8 to 11.
Landscape Use
In the home landscape it grows in full sun with average to moist soils. It needs a good source of sunlight in order for it to produce flowers and keep the plants from becoming too leggy.
It does well along the edges of natural areas where it can create a splash of color along the boundary.
The best scenario is to plant it near a water source, or wet problem area such as a drainage ditch, so that it won’t require any watering.
Wildlife Uses
The flowers are a source of nectar for many insects including bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, and wasps.
Propagation
Can be grown easily from seed, naturally occurring seedlings can be easily transplanted.
You can buy seeds for Leavenworth’s tickseed here at my eBay Store.