Annuals, 5-20(-30+) cm. Leaf blades simple or 1(-2)-pinnately lobed, terminal lobes filiform, 0.5-1(-1.5) mm wide. Peduncles 5-15(-30+) cm. Calyculi of (3-)5-8 linear bractlets 3-7+ mm, not ciliolate near bases. Phyllaries 5-8, obovate to oblanceolate, 4-6(-7+) mm. Ray florets (5-)8(-12+); laminae 7-10(-15+) mm. Disc florets 20-60(-100+); corollas 2-3.6 mm. Cypselae ± oblong, (2.5-)3-4+ mm, marked adaxially with red dots or dashes, wings corky-thickened, faces ± tuberculate and/or hirtellous. 2n = 24. Flowering Feb-Jun. Openings in desert scrub, stabilized dunes; 300-1000 m; Ariz., Calif. Coreopsis californica may occur sporadically in New Mexico.