This has been blooming since at least mid March & continues to bloom now in north central Fl. in full sun all day long. It takes killer heat & dry, dry, dry as well as an overabundance of rain. It's growing in sand. It has the prettiest dainty, ferny type foliage. The blooms are small --- around 1/2 inch.

?Whorled Coreopsis?

Thanks for the try Mary but that's not it. This has much more rounded petals on the ends & the foliage is completely different.

Seems like no one else is here tonight - I'll try again.
How about one of the Viguiera plants? maybe stenoloba or dentate?

V. stenoloba looks very close but there are not supposed to be any Viguiera growing wild east of Texas.

Sorry, I still don't know what it is, but I found 2 Viguiera varieties listed on this site about Florida plants and flowers:

http://florida.wildflowersight...

It is indeed V. stenoloba & it is positively growing here in Fl. & not just in my location. I found it here last night but it was unidentified. It is right below the Marsh Gentian. This location is a good ways from my present location. I'm going to say a good 200+ miles south & directly on the east coast.
http://www.spacecoastwildflowe...

Also, I found it here & it is the plant I have.
http://www.wildflower.org/gall...

http://www.delange.org/ResinBu...

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu...

You were on the right track from the beginning Mary. And you recognized it Jay but the info. on where it occurs threw you. Now, I will wait till this evening to put the photos in the db in case you guys have something to say about it --- a reason I'm mistaken.


Someone needs to update the USDA plants db b/c it only shows it in N.M. & Texas
http://plants.usda.gov/core/pr...
it doesn't have it as introduced anywhere else.

It just goes to show you, the people "in the know" don't always know.

And I couldn't swear on a stack of bibles but I'm pretty sure I saw this same plant growing in Jonathan Dickenson State Park as well as the Nat'l Wildlife Refuge in the Hobe Sound, Fl. area. That's close to 400 mi. south & directly on the east coast in zone 10a.

Preparing to eat crow here.
I was dead wrong.

I saw that at some point in time frostweed had posted photos of V. stenoloba on another site & so I tmailed her since she actually has the plant & can verify. Well, she kindly took photos of the leaves & the stems & they are not as fine as the plant I have. BUT....... she ID'd this as Thymophylla tenuiloba
Dahlberg Daisy (Thymophylla tenuiloba)

Good job!

I wonder if crow tastes any better deep fried? Cause it sure is nasty plain.