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Rudbeckia hirta
Also called Black Eyed Susan, Hairy Coneflower, Black Eyed Coneflower, Brown Betty, Common Black Eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is a North American daisy-type wildflower, usually grown as an annual or short-lived perennial, that tolerates a wide range of conditions. It is easy to grow in full sun and well-drained soil and is widely planted in borders, prairie gardens and containers.
Rudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed Susan and yellow coneflower, is a North American flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It grows to 1 metre (3+1⁄2 ft) tall with daisy-like yellow flower heads. There are numerous cultivars. It was used medicinally by Native Americans and is the state flower of Maryland.
Rudbeckia hirta is widely cultivated in parks and gardens, for summer bedding schemes, borders, containers, wildflower gardens, prairie-style plantings and cut flowers. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which 'Indian Summer' and 'Toto' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Other popular cultivars include 'Double Gold' and 'Marmalade'.
Gloriosa daisies are tetraploid cultivars having much larger flower heads than the wild species, often doubled or with contrasting markings on the ray florets. They were first bred by Alfred Blakeslee of Smith College by applying colchicine to R. hirta seeds; Blakeslee's stock was further developed by W. Atlee Burpee and introduced to commerce at the 1957 Philadelphia Flower Show. Gloriosa daisies are generally treated as annuals or short-lived perennials and are typically grown from seed, though there are some named cultivars.
It is native to eastern and central North America, and is naturalized in the west, being found in all 10 Canadian Provinces and all 48 states of the contiguous United States. It is also naturalized in China.
The plant is thought to be a Native American medicine for various ailments. The roots, though not the seedheads, can be used much like the related Echinacea purpurea with unsubstantiated claims to boost immunity and fight colds, flu and infections. The Ojibwa people used it as a poultice for snake bites and to make an infusion for treating colds and worms in children.
Dracopis · Orange coneflower · Cutleaf coneflower · Great coneflower · Browneyed Susan · Coneflower
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rudbeckia hirta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
