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 of the Rocky Mountain area have resulted in at least two species of prairie coneflower native to the Rocky Mountain area but may be native to other parts of the country too. The prairie coneflowers described here are native to at least two states in the Rocky Mountain area.
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 3-10 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: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah as well as places on the Pacific Coast, and in the Southwest, 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
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 and 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: Wyoming and Colorado as well as places in the Southwest 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
Six states are included in the Rocky Mountains area: Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The geography is diverse and includes mountains, plains, and deserts, and the climatic conditions are variable and vary with the geography. Low annual rainfall and high temperatures are typical of some parts of the area, while snowfall and low temperatures are found in other parts and the mountains of all of these states.