It looks like a coreopsis. Here is a link that might be useful: Maybe this one

Verbena, Potentilla, Oenothera. Not sure which species.

I'm sorry that you've put yourself in the position of being scolded, Sandy, but Ken is absolutely right. If you think that it's okay to break off pieces of plants at a nursery, garden center, public or private planting, then those plants will look pretty terrible by the end of the day after a dozen more people like you get through with them. What you should do, Sandy Maszle, is to take your pictures without damaging the plant, in situ, as many thousands of people have before visiting the Gardenweb. The vast majority of us know not to 'rip off' or 'pinch' pieces of someone else's plants. Funny....both of those terms also mean to steal or rob. Ask a garden center owner how he/she feels about it. There won't be any ambivalence in the reply. Had you ever thought of your act as dishonest?

Thank you! I knew someone on the Antique Roses forum would know! It is definitely Carolina Allspice, no doubt a cultivar which was in commerce a long time ago. I am laughing about the info on the internet, which says that it gets 5-8 feet tall. Mine, which is deep in a part of our lot which is wild, is at least 25 feet tall, and 12-15 feet wide (climbing up a tree). Why, oh why, does everything in my garden get 5/6 times larger than in other places? Now I have a dilemma. It is in the part of our yard which is scheduled to be completely dug up (several much bigger and equally old woody shrubs full of dead wood removed, as part of our fire safe re-landscaping) and cleared. Then my DH is going to build a deer proof steel fence around that area (it is about 500 sq ft), and after I see what the new sun/shade patterns are, I hope to plant roses and other things there. This plant was in the area which is to be cleared, but now I am wondering if we cut it down to about 3 feet tall, if it could be saved. My DH likes it, as he remembers it from his childhood 65 years ago, when the house belonged to his grandparents. To answer your question, slummgulion, the leaves (when crushed) smell like celery leaves, and the new flowers smell like some sort of unidentifiable sweet berry. Most of the info I have found says it needs to be watered. Ha! It only rains here 4 months of the year, usually, and in the hot dry summer it does not rain at all for 5-6 months. This plant never gets water other than some rain in the winter. It never gets "fed", but of course as it is in an area dense with old shrubs & trees, it is getting natural food from all of the leaf litter, etc). It looks healthy and thriving, and planning on taking over the world. If I chop it back, it will be on its same no doubt huge root structure. I am guessing I will not have to irrigate it? Any thoughts about how to manage it if I keep it (which I am realizing I will)? Even with the other way more enormous old shrubs removed, it will be in some high shade from a tall tree on one side, and a nearby house, and some other trees. Thanks for your help, as usual. Jackie