FNPS Plant Database

Coreopsis floridana

Florida tickseed
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Florida tickseed

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Coreopsis floridana

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

2-4 ft tall by 1 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Blooms fall and winter.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Useful as a colorful wildflower along the edge of a wetland. Often overlooked as sunflowers are blooming at the same time. But if the site is appropriate, worthwhile.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed. Rarely planted due to its site specificity.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Organic

Soil pH:

Acidic but moderately adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts many different butterflies and  pollinators.

Native Habitats:

Wet prairie, herbaceous seepage areas, wet roadsides.

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This is one of our larger (taller and larger flowers) Coreopsis species.

Citations:

Florida Wildflower Foundation. Flower Friday: Florida Tickseed. ( https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-coreopsis-floridana/ ). Accessed 2026. Florida Wildflower Foundation, Maitland, FL.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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