Prairie coneflower is a herbaceous perennial native to North America from southern Canada to northern Mexico where it grows in a variety of habitats such as prairies, plains, roadsides, and disturbed areas. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. Plants grow 6-60″ tall and have one to many erect branched stems with basal and/or cauline leaves that are linear to oblong, and pinnately lobed to pinnatified. Flowerheads are borne singly or in loose clusters and consist of 50-400+ yellowish green to purplish disc florets surrounded by 3-15+ (sometimes none) yellow, maroon or bicolored ray florets.
Plants grow best in full sun in average, dry to moderately moist, well-drained soil. Plants are drought resistant, and generally free from serious pests or diseases. Propagation is by seed. The flowerheads are attractive to pollinators including butterflies and the seeds are attractive to birds. Plants may be vigorous and crowd out less rambunctious plants.
The derivation of the genus name, Ratibida, is unknown.
Photo Credit: HarmonyonPlanetEarth, Wikimedia Commons
The environmental conditions in the Southwest have resulted in at least 4 species of prairie coneflowers native to the Southwest although they may be native to other areas too.The prairie coneflowers described here are native to at least one state in the Southwest.
Upright Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
Hairy, green stems with occasional branching carry hairy leaves that are up to 6″ long, mostly at the base, and are deeply pinnate with 5-11 lobes. The single, terminal flowerheads consist of a long center cone up to 2″ long of purplish disk florets surrounded by 3-12 drooping yellow to rust red ray florets.
Alternate/s Names: Mexican Hat, red-spike Mexican hat, prairie coneflower, long-headed coneflower, thimbleflower, obelisk flower
Native Range: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as well as places on the Pacific Coast, and in the Rocky Mountain area, Midwest, Southeast, Mid Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Prairies, plains, pastures, meadows, savannahs, disturbed sites
Type: Perennial or biennial
Height: 1-3′
Bloom Time: Late spring to ealy fall
Bloom Color: Rust-red, yellow
Light: Full sun; tolerates some shade
Soil: Average, dry to medium moist, well-drained; tolerates drought and poor soil
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Naked Mexican Hat (Ratibida peduncularis)
Linear bipinnatifid leaves with 3-10 lobes are on the lower half of flowering stems and are hairy and gland-dotted. Flowerheads 1-2″ in size are carried on leafless stalks up to 18″ long above the highest leaves. They are composed of 4-14 drooping yellow, marron or bicolor (yellow and maroon) ray florets surrounding a long conical center bearing greenish yellow to purplish disk florets.
Alternate/s Names: Naked prairie coneflower
Native Range: Texas as well as places in the Southeast
Habitat: Sandy soils of coastal plain
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-3′
Bloom Time: Spring into fall
Bloom Color: Yellow
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Sandy, medium moist to medium dry, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 (guestimate based on native range)
Photo Credit: joanmuir, INaturalist
Gray-head Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
A slender, somewhat branched, hairy stem bears lower leaves that are up to 16 long. They are roughly hairy and glandular, and are deeply divided into 3-7 narrow lobes and may be further divided. The upper leaves are smaller and have fewer lobes or none. Long, ridged, rough stalks carry single flowerheads above the highest leaves and are composed of up to 15 drooping, yellow ray florets surrounding a roundish to ellipsoid, grayish cone-like center. The center is up to 1″ long and bears greenish yellow to purple disk florets that have an anise fragrance when crushed. The flowerheads are good in the vase.
Alternate/s Names: Pinnate prairie coneflower, yellow coneflower, prairie coneflower, grayhead Mexican, hat, weary Susan, drooping coneflower
Native Range: Texas and Oklahoma as well as places in the Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic
Habitat: Prairies, fields, thickets, woodland edges, savannahs
Type: Perennial
Height: 3-5′
Bloom Time: Mid summer to mid fall
Bloom Color: Yellow
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium moist to medium dry, well-drained; tolerates lean soil and drought
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Short-ray Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida tagetes)
Linear basal and stem leaves are .8 to 3″ long, pinnatifid or bipinnatifid with 2-7 lobes, and have short stiff hairs and are gland dotted. Solitary or corymb-like clusters of flowerheads are carried on .2-1.6″ long stalks just above the leaves. They are composed of 5-10, sometimes none, reddish brown or sometimes yellow, drooping or spreading ray florets surrounding a roundish center of greenish yellow or purplish brown disc florets.
Alternate/s Names: Green prairie coneflower, green Mexican hat
Native Range: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area and Midwest
Habitat: Rocky hillsides, high plains, mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies
Type: Perennial
Height: 6-20″
Bloom Time: Late spring through fall
Bloom Color: Yellow, purple
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Sandy, medium moist to medium dry, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-?
Photo Credit: Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences and the Dale A. Zimmerman Herbarium
For the purpose of this article, the Southwest includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Other states often associated with the Southwest are included in other geographic areas. The key factor linking these four states is aridity. The area includes high dry plains and true deserts as well as spurs of the Rocky Mountains. Only Texas has a coast on the ocean which brings more precipitation and humidity to east Texas and Oklahoma than elsewhere in the area. In addition to the ocean, the Rio Grande and Colorado Rivers are significant water features in the area. Although temperatures in the mountains can be cool, most of the area experiences hot temperatures for a long period each year.