Description ⁴

This perennial has large, stalked leaves and flowers with 6-16 yellow petals radiating from (and drooping beneath) a greenish-yellow head. The plant grows 3-5 ft tall and flowers are 2.5-4 inches in diameter. Coneflower is extremely common along shady mountain streams in the park and blooms from July to October.

Source: Peter White, Tom Condon, Janet Rock, Carol Ann McCormick, Pat Beaty & Keith Langdon. 2003. Wildflowers of the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains Association, Gatlinburg, TN. p. 169.

Taxonomy ⁵

Up to six varieties of Rudbeckia laciniata are currently recognized. The varieties ampla and heterophylla are considered to be the most distinctive, while the others less so. There is variation in treatment among authors, with the less distinctive varieties sometimes being subsumed into laciniata, and variety ampla sometimes recognized at the species level.

The six varieties are:

Variety humilis has shallowly lobed leaves and large flowers (Clingman's Dome, North Carolina)

Variety laciniata, showing deeply divided leaves (Theodore Roosevelt Island, Washington, D.C.)

Uses ⁵

Traditionally, the young leaves have been gathered from the wild and eaten in the early spring. They are greatly favored as a potherb (cooked). Though some references state the use of this plant as salad greens (raw), traditional use is as cooked greens. This is assumed to be done to remove toxins. However, there is little evidence of their presence. One report cites circumstantial evidence of poisoning to horses, sheep and pigs.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Homer Edward Price, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coneflower-(Rudbeckia-laciniata)_(6232085309).gif
2. (c) Photo by David J. Stang, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudbeckia_laciniata_9zz.jpg
3. (c) Jonathan (JC) Carpenter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jonathan (JC) Carpenter
4. (c) Will Kuhn, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/992102
5. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia_laciniata

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• OregonFlora.org
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
• 植物和名−学名インデックス YList

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