Plains coreopsis

'') blooming at Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado Co., Texas, USA Growing quickly, Coreopsis tinctoria attains heights of . Its leaves are pinnately-divided, glabrous and tend to thin at the top of the plant where numerous flower heads sit atop slender stems. Flower heads are brilliant yellow with maroon or brown disc florets of various sizes. Flowering typically occurs in mid-summer. The small, slender seeds germinate in fall (overwintering as a low rosette) or early spring. Ray florets have notched tips. == Distribution and habitat ==

Coreopsis tinctoria is native to most of the central United States. Within North America, it is thought to be introduced in the western and eastern United States and eastern Canada. and has been recorded as introduced into much of Europe, parts of Asia, and in Mozambique. ==Ecology==

Coreopsis tinctoria is pollinated by a wide variety of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies and beetles. Coreopsis tinctoria serves as a larval host plant for various insects, such as Synchlora aerata, Tornos scolopacinarius and Calligrapha californica. == Taxonomy ==

Coreopsis tinctoria was first formally named and described by Thomas Nuttall in 1821 in the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. In French, this species is known as . Varieties Coreopsis tinctoria, as treated by PoWO and the Flora of North America, includes plants that others have treated as distinct subdivisions of C. tinctoria or as separate species. Plants that are sometimes treated as separate from C. tinctoria include, but are not limited to; • Coreopsis atkinsoniana • Coreopsis cardaminifolia • C. tinctoria var. similis ==Uses==

The Zuni people traditionally use the blossoms of the tinctoria variety to make a mahogany red dye for yarn, and, until the introduction of coffee by traders, to make a hot beverage. Women also used an infusion of the whole plant of this variety, except for the root, if they desired a female child. Cultivation Plains coreopsis is cultivated as an ornamental plant for gardens, and as a native plant for wildlife gardens and natural landscaping. It grows well in many types of soil, but seems to prefer sandy or well-drained loam soils. Though plains coreopsis is often described as an annual some plants will behave more like biannuals growing larger and blooming more in their second year. ;Cultivars Because of its easy growing habits and the bright, showy flowers of cultivars such as 'Roulette' (tiger stripes of gold on a deep mahogany ground), plains coreopsis is increasingly used for landscape beautification and in flower gardens. ==References==