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Coreopsis
Environmental Weed
Botanical name: Coreopsis lanceolata
Photo: Adam Burrowes
Description
A short lived perennial from the American prairies, Coreopsis is a bright yellow daisy carpeting rural roadsides in spring and early summer. Long lanceolate leaves in basal clusters.
Yellow, solitary flowerheads on long leafless stems up to 60cm high. Ray florets are toothed at ends. Flowers in spring and autumn. Coreopsis seeds prolifically. Black with 2 papery wings and viable for at least a year.
Dispersal
Its tiny seeds are spread rapidly by wind along roads and railway lines. Also spreads vegetatively via underground rhizomes.
Impact on bushland
Coreopsis is now a widespread environmental weed on poor soils and in open grassland and woodland. It is spread rapidly by wind and forms interconnected root mats.
Control
Manual: Hand weeding is time consuming but successful. Each sister plant must be traced and removed. Seeds are long lived, so new seedlings will need to be weeded out every year.
See Manual Weed Control Techniques.
Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.