Description: This native perennial plant is
1½–3' tall and largely unbranched. The central stem is long, round,
and slender; it is hairless near the apex, but sometimes has scattered white
hairs near the base. The foliage consists primarily of alternate leaves crowded
together near the base of the plant. These leaves are
up to 10" long and 2" across. They are
lanceolate or oblanceolate, and have smooth margins; sometimes there are 1 or 2
small lateral lobes near the base. Sometimes there are scattered white hairs
along the leaf surface, particularly along the mid-rib on the lower side. The
upper stem is largely devoid of leaves, and terminates in a single compound
flower. This compound flower is 2-3½" across and quite showy. It
consists of numerous yellow or yellowish brown disk florets, and 6-10
surrounding yellow ray florets. The outer edge of each ray floret has a fringed
appearance consisting of 4 acute lobes. Each flower is subtended by several
triangular green bracts; the inner bracts are somewhat smaller and often
brownish green. The blooming period occurs during early summer and lasts about
a month. There is no noticeable scent to the flowers. The dark achenes are
rather flat and oblong, and have 2 small barbs near the top. The root system is
fibrous. This plant often forms colonies by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, and mesic
to dry conditions. Poor soil is preferred because of the reduction in
competition from other plants; it can contain sandy or rocky material. This
plant is easy to grow from transplants. In open sunny situations, it sometimes
spreads aggressively.
Range &
Habitat: Sand Coreopsis occurs in NE Illinois, in counties along the
Illinois River, SW Illinois, and scattered other counties (see
Distribution
Map). It is an uncommon plant. Habitats include mesic to dry sand prairies,
gravel prairies, dry areas of black soil prairies, limestone glades, thinly
wooded bluffs, and areas along roadsides and railroads. Some local populations,
particularly in NE Illinois, may be plants that have escaped cultivation. Other
populations are the result of habitat restoration efforts.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers
attracts many kinds of insect visitors, including long-tongued bees,
short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, day-flying moths, and
beetles. Some of the bees collect pollen, while some of the beetles feed on
pollen. The long-tongued bee Melissodes coreopsis (Coreopsis Miner Bee)
is a specialist visitor of Coreopsis spp. The caterpillars of the moths
Tornos scolopacinarius (Dimorphic Gray) and Eynchlora acida
(Wavy-Lined Emerald) feed on the foliage. Mammalian herbivores occasionally
consume this and other Coreopsis species, including rabbits, groundhogs,
livestock, and possibly deer. The barbs of the achenes can cling to the fur of
animals and clothing of humans, and are distributed by them to some
extent.
Photographic
Location: The photographs were taken in a sand prairie at Kickapoo
State Park in Vermillion County, Illinois.
Comments: Another common name for this plant is
Lance-leaved Coreopsis, even though the leaves are often broader toward their
tips than at the base of the plant. This plant can be distinguished from other
Coreopsis species primarily by its leaves; they are undivided, or have 1-2
small lateral lobes near the base. Different populations can vary significantly
in the hairiness of the leaves, ranging from glabrous to scattered long white
hairs (the plants in the photographs are the latter, var. villosa).
Because of the showy flowers and ease of cultivation, Sand Coreopsis is often
grown in flower gardens.