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Home , Amorpha canescens, Bouteloua curtipendula, Coreopsis, Coreopsis lanceolata, Coreopsis palmata, Coreopsis tripteris

Coreopsis palmata Nutt. prairieprairie coreopsiscoreopsis, Page 

State Distribution

Photo by Bradford S. Slaughter Best Survey Period

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Status: State threatened Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties. Global and state rank: G5/S2 Recognition: is a small, erect, Other common names: stiff coreopsis, stiff tickseed, rhizomatous perennial forb ranging to 90 cm in finger coreopsis height, characterized by numerous firm, narrow, essentially sessile that are trilobed at or Family: (aster family); also known as the somewhat below the middle, giving them a “bird’s Compositae foot” appearance. The bird’s foot appearance of the leaves is accentuated by the decurrent blade tissue : The Asteraceae or Compositae is a very that extends along the midrib to the base. are large family of flowering plants, with perhaps greater glabrous except for the scabrociliate (rough-haired) than 20,000 (Voss 1996). The Coreopsis margins and somewhat hairy nodes. Individuals is characterized by radiate heads with few, conspicuous develop one to few short-stalked heads with 5-merous rays, biseriate (arranged in two rows), dimorphic yellow disks 8-15 mm wide, yellow rays 1.5-3 cm in involucral , glabrous, perfect, fertile disk , length, linear-clavate (club-like) acutish receptacular and strongly flattened, unbeaked, often winged achenes. bracts, and acute styles with sharp, firm appendages. Outer phyllaries are nearly as long as the inner Range: Prairie coreopsis is widespread in the central phyllaries. The is a narrowly winged achene, 5-6.5 , where the species occurs in the Great mm long. (tall coreopsis), which is Plains states of , , , and often associated with prairie coreopsis, is a tall (1-3 m), east to and , and south to single-stemmed perennial characterized by petioled, and . The species is considered rare compound leaves with outer phyllaries half or less than in Louisiana, Nebraska, and South Dakota (NatureServe half as long as the inner phyllaries. The leaves blacken 2009). distinctively in the fall.

State distribution: Prairie coreopsis is known from Best survey time/phenology: In Michigan, prairie approximately 30 occurrences in southwestern Lower coreopsis flowers in June and July, and in August. Michigan, where the species has been documented from Although prairie coreopsis is most conspicuous during

Michigan Natural Features Inventory P.O. Box 30444 - Lansing, MI 48909-7944 Phone: 517-373-1552 prairie coreopsis, Page  its flowering period, the species can be identified by to fire by producing more flowering stalks and more its distinctive sessile, trilobed leaves throughout the fruits per stalk (Ehrenreich and Aikman 1963). growing season from May through late September. The species’ tendency to form large colonies makes it a showy component of the early- to mid-summer prairie FQI Coefficient and Wetland Category:10, UPL and savanna flora. Prairie coreopsis is self-incompatible and is pollinated by several insects; primary visitors Habitat: Prairie coreopsis occurs in remnant upland appear to be small, generalist bees in the family oak savanna and prairie communities, including Halictidae and bee flies in the family Bombyliidae bur oak plains, dry-mesic prairie, mesic prairie, oak (Parrish and Bazzaz 1979). barrens, and oak openings. In these habitats, prairie coreopsis is associated with a variety of herbaceous Conservation/management: Prairie coreopsis was and woody associates, including canescens once likely a widespread, locally abundant species in (leadplant), Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), oak savannas and grasslands in southwestern Lower Anemone cylindrica (thimbleweed), tuberosa Michigan. Fragmentation and conversion of these (butterfly-weed),Aster laevis (smooth aster), Carya habitats to agricultural and urban land following spp. (hickories), Ceanothus americanus ( European settlement, in addition to the succession of tea), Coreopsis tripteris (tall coreopsis), Cornus spp. undeveloped savanna areas to forest due to long-term (dogwoods), Corylus americana (hazelnut), Desmodium fire suppression, has significantly reduced populations illinoense (prairie tick-trefoil), Euphorbia corollata of this species in the state. Today, nearly all populations (flowering spurge), occidentalis (western of prairie coreopsis in Michigan occur in degraded sunflower), Lupinus perennis (wild lupine), Monarda prairie or savanna habitat in railroad rights-of-way fistulosa (wild bergamot), Prunus serotina (black or along roadsides, where the plants are vulnerable cherry), Quercus alba (white oak), Q. prinoides (dwarf to bulldozing, mowing, plowing, herbicide use, and chinquapin oak), Q. velutina (black oak), Ratibida other anthropogenic disturbances. Frequent disturbance pinnata (yellow coneflower),Rhus spp. (), Rosa has reduced or eliminated native associates at several carolina (Carolina ), flagellaris (dewberry), sites, and allowed invasion of most sites by several Sassafras albidum (sassafras), Schizachyrium scoparium aggressive, non-native species, including Berteroa (little bluestem), Solidago rigida (stiff goldenrod) and incana (hoary alyssum), Bromus inermis (smooth ohiensis ( spiderwort), in addition brome), Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed), to several other taxa of open prairie and partial-canopy Daucus carota (Queen-Anne’s-lace), Hypericum savanna systems. perforatum (spotted St. John’s-wort), Melilotus alba (white sweet-clover), M. officinalis(yellow sweet- In the Chicago region, prairie coreopsis occurs in sand clover), and Poa pratensis ( bluegrass). , black oak savannas, and gravelly hill prairies Fire suppression and lack of management has further (Swink and Wilhelm 1994). Associates in sand prairies contributed to the decline of prairie coreopsis by and black oak savannas in this region include black fostering an increase in and tree cover in formerly oak, flowering spurge, Ohio spiderwort,Lespedeza open habitats. Dense clones of Rhus glabra (smooth capitata (round-headed bush-clover), aspera ) and R. typhina (staghorn sumac) have degraded (rough blazing-star), pilosa (prairie phlox), and or eliminated several former prairie sites in railroad Stipa spartea (porcupine grass). Associates in hill rights-of-way. prairies in the Chicago region include Arenaria stricta (rock sandwort), Aster sericeus (western silver-leaved Long-term protection of prairie coreopsis in Michigan aster), curtipendula (side-oats grama grass), requires management of remaining habitat to provide (purple prairie-clover), and Sporobolus open conditions required by the species. Use of heterolepis (prairie dropseed). prescribed fire, manual removal of trees and , and herbicide application targeting invasive shrubs Biology: Like many prairie and savanna species, prairie and herbaceous species are recommended to restore, coreopsis appears to benefit from application of fire, and maintain, and enhance prairie and savanna habitats declines in the absence of fire (Ehrenreich and Aikman that support this species. Of the approximately 30 sites 1963, Bowles et al. 2003). Prairie coreopsis responds known to support prairie coreopsis in Michigan, six

Michigan Natural Features Inventory P.O. Box 30444 - Lansing, MI 48909-7944 Phone: 517-373-1552 prairie coreopsis, Page  are on lands managed for biodiversity conservation, Bowles, M.L., M.D. Jones, and J.L. McBride. 2003. including two Michigan Nature Association preserves, Twenty-year changes in burned and unburned three sites on Amtrak rights-of-way leased by The sand prairie remnants in northwestern and Nature Conservancy, and one state game area. Only implications for management. American Midland three of these six populations have been observed Naturalist 149: 35-45. in recent years, and only one is being actively managed. All of these populations are vulnerable to Ehrenreich, J.H., and J.M. Aikman. 1963. An ecological railroad and road maintenance and encroachment of study of the effect of certain management practices aggressive non-native species. Perhaps the greatest on native prairie in . Ecological Monographs need for conservation of prairie coreopsis in Michigan 33: 113-130. is the identification and management of sites that occur outside railroad and road rights-of-way. The Gleason, H.A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of species could also be introduced in savanna or prairie vascular plants of Northeastern United States and restorations that are not likely to be negatively impacted adjacent Canada. The Botanical Garden, by future development. Bronx, New York. 910 pp.

Comments: Prairie coreopsis is one of three native NatureServe. 2009. NatureServe Explorer: An online Coreopsis species in Michigan, blooming after encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. (sand coreopsis), which occurs NatureServe, Arlington, . Available http:// on dunes, sandy banks, bluffs, grasslands, and open www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: August woodland, and before C. tripteris (tall coreopsis), 26, 2009). which often grows with prairie coreopsis, but is more widespread throughout southern Lower Michigan (Voss Parrish, J.A.D., and F.A. Bazzaz. 1979. Difference in 1996). The genus Coreopsis is derived from the Greek niche relationships in early and late koris, “bed bug,” and opsis, “likeness,” and refers to successional communities. Ecology 60: 597- the seeds, which resemble ticks (Black and Judziewicz 610. 2009). The specific epithetpalmata refers to the palm- like lobing of the leaves. Swink, F., and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region, 4th Ed. The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. Research needs: The primary need is an updated status 921 pp. survey at extant and historic locations. Population data from most occurrences were last collected in the Voss, E.G. 1996. Michigan Flora. Part III: Dicots mid-1980s. Research on the impacts of fire and other (Pyrolaceae – Compositae). Cranbrook Institute of management techniques on prairie coreopsis will Science and University of Michigan Herbarium, provide land stewards with methods for maintaining Ann Arbor, MI. 622 pp. and enhancing populations of the species. There is little detailed information available on the species’ life Abstract citation: history or autoecology. Slaughter, B.S. 2009. Special Plant Abstract for prairie Related abstracts: Bur oak plains, dry-mesic prairie, coreopsis (). Michigan Natural mesic prairie, oak barrens, oak openings, compass Features Inventory, Lansing, MI. 3 pp. plant, Jacob’s ladder, leadplant, prairie dropseed, purple milkweed, shooting-star, blazing star borer, culver’s root Copyright 2009 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. borer, leadplant flower moth, silphium borer. Michigan State University Extension is an affirmative-action, Selected references: equal-opportunity organization.

Black, M.R., and E.J.Judziewicz. 2009. Wildflowers Funding for abstract provided by the Michigan Department of of and the : A Transportation. comprehensive field guide, nd2 Ed. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI. 275 pp.

Michigan Natural Features Inventory P.O. Box 30444 - Lansing, MI 48909-7944 Phone: 517-373-1552