Annuals, perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs, often rhizomatous or with cormiform bases. Stems usually 1, erect, branched distally or ± throughout. Leaves basal, basal and cauline, or cauline, opposite or alternate or both, petiolate or sessile; blades simple and usually entire, or pinnately or pedately lobed, both surfaces glabrous or hairy. Synflorescence of solitary capitula or capitula in lax corymbs. Capitula radiate; calycular bracts (3-)8+, distinct, ± herbaceous; involucres ± globose to cylindric, 4-25+ mm in diam.; phyllaries usually ca. 8, ca. 2-seriate; receptacle flat to convex; paleae deciduous, ovate to linear or subulate, flat, scarious. Ray florets mostly (5-)8(-12+), neuter, or styliferous and sterile, or female and fertile; corollas usually yellow, sometimes red-brown to purple proximally, sometimes wholly purple or pink to white. Disk florets 8-150+, bisexual, fertile; corollas usually yellow, sometimes red-brown to purple at tips or throughout, tubes equaling or shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes 4 or 5. Achenes obcompressed, ± orbicular to ovate, oblong, or linear, usually thin margined or winged, wings membranous to papery or corky, entire or lobed to toothed, sometimes ciliolate; faces smooth or ± papillate to tuberculate; pappus absent, or persistent, of 2 bristly cusps or scales, sometimes pappus absent and shoulders of achene wings bristly and pappuslike. x = 14.

Coreopsis verticillata Linnaeus is cultivated in China.

About 35 species: mostly temperate North America, also tropical New World and Old World; three species (all introduced) in China.