Coreopsis tinctoria
Nutt.
Cress-leaved tickseed
(c) Jenn Drummond, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jenn Drummond
(c) J. Richard Abbott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by J. Richard Abbott
(c) J. Richard Abbott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by J. Richard Abbott
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves
A tea can be brewed from the dried plant, and it has been used as a coffee substitute.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. In Argentina it grows between 200-500 m above sea level.
Argentina, Asia, Central Asia, Korea, Myanmar, Niue, North America, SE Asia, Tajikistan, USA,
How to Identify
A herb. It grows each year from seed. It grows 60-90 cm tall. The leaves are opposite and without stalks. They are 1-6 cm long by 0.5-2.5 cm wide. They are divided once or twice into narrow segments.
How to Grow
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Prefers a fertile well-drained moisture retentive medium soil. Does well in sandy soils. Requires a sunny position. Established plants are drought resistant. A good bee plant.
Propagation: Sow seed in March in a cold frame. Prick seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle and plant out in summer. Where seed is plentiful, it can also be sown directly in situ outdoors.
Medicinal Uses
A tea made from the roots is emetic and is also used in the treatment of diarrhoea. An infusion of the whole plant without the root has been used by women desiring a female baby.
Other Uses
A yellow dye — red when used with an acid mordant — is obtained from the flowers and used to dye cloth, though it performs poorly on plant fibres. The flowers can be dried for later use. The plant is also cultivated as an ornamental and used in wildlife gardens and natural landscaping.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Annual plant reaching 0.8 m tall and 0.2 m wide, growing at a medium rate. Foliage present April to November with flowers from June to September and seed ripening June to October. Hardy to UK zone 3. Hermaphrodite flowers attract bees and wildlife. Thrives in light sandy and medium loamy well-drained soils across mildly acid to mildly alkaline pH ranges. Requires full sun, tolerates both dry and moist conditions, and drought-resistant once established.
Notes
There are about 100-120 Coreopsis species.
Names & Synonyms
Sein-chai-pan
References (6)
- Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994) (As Coreopsis cardaminefolia)
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 37 (As Coreopsis cardaminefolia)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 265
- Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. ser. 2, 7:360. 1841 (As Coreopsis cardaminefolia)
- Uphof, (As Coreopsis cardaminefolia)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
