Flower profile

Plains coreopsis

Coreopsis tinctoria

Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Plains coreopsis is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

46states where USDA records it

4Bloomipedia state lists include it

14,985U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Coreopsis tinctoria, commonly known as plains coreopsis, garden tickseed, golden tickseed, or calliopsis, is an annual forb in the Asteraceae family. The species is common in Canada, northeast Mexico, and most of the United States, especially the Great Plains and Southern States. It has been introduced and naturalized into many parts of Europe and Asia.
From Wikipedia's article Plains coreopsis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 46 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Oklahoma, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 7,513 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #85 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 954 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #23 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 809 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #52 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,639 records)

Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	April–June	7,513
Oklahoma	Native	June–October	954
Arkansas	Native	May–August	809
Louisiana	Native	May–June	417

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: WY (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNon-toxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Coreopsis” (Coreopsis spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records plains coreopsis in 46 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burnet, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Coleman, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Crosby, Dallam, Dallas, DeWitt, Deaf Smith, Denton, Dickens, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Fannin, Floyd, Fort Bend, Franklin, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hale, Hansford, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Hays, Hidalgo, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox, La Salle, Lamar, Lampasas, Leon, Liberty, Lipscomb, Llano, Lubbock, Marion, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Nueces, Oldham, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Reagan, Real, Robertson, Rusk, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Shelby, Smith, Starr, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Webb, Wichita, Willacy, Williamson, Yoakum, Zapata.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Alfalfa, Atoka, Beckham, Bryan, Caddo, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Delaware, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Haskell, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Marshall, Mayes, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Payne, Pittsburg, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tillman, Tulsa, Washington, Woods.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Logan, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, St. Francis, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, Yell.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Plains coreopsis a medium shade tolerance, low drought tolerance and high moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.2 to 7.8 and winter lows down to 52 °F.

Shade tolerance: Medium
Drought tolerance: Low
Moisture use: High
Soil textures it is adapted to: medium, fine
Soil pH range: 5.2 to 7.8
Minimum temperature tolerated: 52 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 90
Annual precipitation range: 20 to 55 inches
Minimum root depth: 8 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Rapid
Lifespan: Short
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Summer to Summer
Can be propagated by: seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for COTI3. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Hawaii: Waif (occasional, not established); Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 794 counties across 43 states; the most are in Texas (149), Kansas (63), Arkansas (60).

Other Coreopsis on Bloomipedia (2): Tickseeds, Leavenworth's tickseed.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Texas flowers

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Straggler daisy

Calyptocarpus vialis

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–May

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile COTI3.
iNaturalist, Coreopsis tinctoria: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Plains coreopsis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Coreopsis tinctoria (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Bailey Duncan via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.