Known as coneflowers and black-eyed-susans, the genus Rudbeckia is native to both damp woodlands and dry prairies of North America. It belongs to the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow and lettuce. Most species are herbaceous perennials but some may be annuals or biennials. They are clump-forming, grow 20″ to 10′ tall, and have erect stems carrying coarse, deeply lobed hairy leaves that are 2-10″ long. Terminal flowerheads are daisy-like with drooping yellow or orange ray florets surrounding a cone shaped center of greenish or brown to black disc florets. Rudbeckias are easy to grow and do well in sun or light shade in moderately fertile to average, well-drained soil, and are drought and heat resistant once established. Plants are suitable for the border, and in a meadow or prairie garden. The flowers are good in the vase.
The genus name, Rudbeckia, honors the Swedish father and son, Olof Rudbeck (1630-1702) the Elder and Olof Rudbecki the Younger (1660–1740). Both were scientists and doctors of medicine, and the father was and founder of the Uppsala Botanic Garden in Sweden.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Environmental conditions of the Pacific coast have resulted in at least 7 native coneflowers there but they may be native to other places too. The coneflowers described here are native to at least one of the states of the Pacific Coast.
Showy Coneflower (Rudbeckia alpicoa)
Basal leave are 10 to 28″ long and are elliptic , ovate or deltate. Flowerheads are 1.2-3.2″ across and are carried singly or in flat-topped clusters of 2-10. . The flowerheads lack ray florets and have 300-500 brownish purple disc florets.
Alternate Name/s: Washington coneflower, or Wenatchee mountain coneflower
Native Range: Washington
Habitat: Thickets, bogs, along streams
Type: Perennial
Height: 5′
Bloom Time: Mid summer to fall
Bloom Color: Brown-purple
Light: Full sun
Soil: Moist well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-?
Photo Credit: Walter Fertig; https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?tid=99279&taxauthid=1&clid=3710
California Coneflower (Rudbeckia californica)
The lance-shaped to oval basal leaves are up to 12″ long and may be lobed. The flower heads are usually solitary and at the ends of the unbranched stems. They consist of yellow ray florets that are reflexed and surround a long central cone up to 3″ long of greenish disc florets. Plants are attractive to butterflies and other pollinators, and are good in the vase.
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: From central Sierra Nevada and the Klamath Mountains of California into southwestern Oregon
Habitat: Moist habitat types, such as seeps, mountain meadows and streambanks at elevations of 400-7,800 feet
Type: Perennial
Height: 3-6′
Bloom Time: July-August
Bloom Color: Yellow, greenish center
Light: Part shade
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
Photo Credit: Dcrjsr, Wikimedia Commons
Black-Eyed-Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Stiff branched stems arise from a basal rosette of lance-shaped, hairy leaves up to 7″ long. Flower heads up to 3″ across have bright yellow to orange-yellow ray florets around a domed, dark chocolate-brown center of disc florets. The flower heads are attractive to butterflies and other pollinators and the seeds are attractive to birds. The flower heads are attractive in the vase.
Alternate Name/s: Brown-eyed susan, yellow ox-eye daisy, brown betty, golden Jerusalem, English bull’s eye, gloriosa daisy
Native Range: Washington, Oregon and California as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, Mid Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Open areas, prairie, meadows, pastures, plains, savannas, woodlands’ edge
Type: Annual (can be biennial or short-lived perennial depending on the growing conditions)
Height: 24-36″
Bloom Time: Early summer to fall
Bloom Color: Yellow to orange-yellow with dark chocolate brown
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7
Photo Credit: Pandries, Wikipedia
Klamath Coneflower (Rudbeckia klamathensis)
The blue-green leaves are 6-26″ long, ovate to elliptic, and have coarsely toothed or lobed margins. The flowerheads are carried singly or in flat-topped clusters and consist of 7-15 orange or yellow ray florets surrounding a center of 180-300+, greenish yellow disc florets.
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: North western California
Habitat: Meadows, seeps, along streams
Type: Perennial
Height: 18″- 3′
Bloom Time: Mid-summer to fall
Bloom Color: Orange, yellow, green
Light: Sun to part shade
Soil: Moderately moist
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-8
Photo Credit: SEINet
Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata)
The light green basal leaves are up to 10″ long and may be deeply divided and lobed, while upper leaves are smaller and may be lobed. The daisy-like flower heads are 3-4″ wide and have 8-12 reflexed yellow ray florets surrounding a dome-like center of 150-300 green disc florets that turn brown with maturity. The flowers are attractive to butterflies and other pollinators and the seeds are attractive to birds. Plants tend to spread rapidly and are best used in large landscapes.
Alternate Name/s: Green-headed coneflower, greenhead coneflower, wild goldenglow, sochan, thimbleweed
Native Range: Washington as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, Mid Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Wet areas in flood plains, along stream banks, and in moist woodlands
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-10′ in the wild, 3-4 in cultivation
Bloom Time: Mid summer to mid fall
Bloom Color: Yellow with green center
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Mountain Coneflower (Rudbeckia montana)
Basal leaves are 5-12″ long, broadly elliptic to ovate, lobed, and may have toothed margins. Thick, rigid, leafy stems carry flowerheads singly or in flat-topped clusters. The flowerheads lack ray florets and consist of a 2″ long cone bearing 200-500+ disc florets that are maroon at the base and greenish above. Leafy bracts up to 1.5″ long subtend the flowerhead.
Alternate Name/s: Montane coneflower
Native Range: Oregon as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area
Habitat: Moist open meadows, aspen forests, hillside seeps, along streams
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-6.5′
Bloom Time: Summer
Bloom Color: Maroon to greenish
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, moderately moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-?
Photo Credit: Seinet
Western Coneflower (Rudbeckia occidentalis)
Oval leaves with pointed tips and lightly to deeply toothed margins form basal clumps. Mostly unbranched stems carry flower heads that lack ray florets but have a dome-shaped structure up to 2″ long covered with purple to black disc flowers and ringed by pollen bearing stamens. Plants attract bees and other pollinators.
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: Washington, Oregon, and California as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area
Habitat: Moist sites such as mountain meadows, streambanks, and seeps usually at elevations from 4000 to 9000 ft
Type: Perennial
Height: 3-7′
Bloom Time: Summer
Bloom Color: Purple to black
Light: Full sun; tolerates some shade
Soil: Average, consistently moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The three states of the Pacific coast, Washington, Oregon and California, have a great variety of geography and climate. The key factors uniting these states are the coastline along the Pacific Ocean and the presence of numerous mountain ranges. The area of the Pacific coast includes rainforests as well as semi-arid plateau and deserts. The climate varies with the geography with average annual rainfall ranging from over 130″ to less than 2″. Precipitation can be in the form of rain or snow. Likewise, summer temperatures can be over 110 F in Death Valley and down to -70 F in the mountains.