Anacis palmata (Coreopsis palmata)

Native to the central United States, this perennial herb reaches about three feet tall. Creeping rhizomes allow it to spread into loose colonies. Its opposite, nearly stalkless leaves divide into three narrow lobes, giving them a distinctive bird’s-foot shape. Yellow flowerheads have broad ray florets with notched or toothed tips surrounding a central disk of small, tubular florets. The dry, flattened fruits have narrow wings and each enclose one seed. The species grows in prairies, open oak savannas and dry, rocky or sandy sites. It is listed as endangered in Michigan, where much of its prairie and savanna habitat has been lost. Photographed in Virginia.