What comes to mind when you picture coneflowers? Purple Coneflower? Orange Coneflower? Upright Prairie Coneflower? These three examples, all from the Aster family, Asteraceae, represent the three genera of plants native to Ohio with “coneflower” in their common names. “Cone,” of course, is a reference to the center disk of the flower head.

ECHINACEAS

According to BONAP¹, Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, is the only species of Echinacea native to Ohio while three additional species are native to adjoining states. Nationwide there are eight native species.

One of Purple Coneflower’s more endearing common names is hedgehog coneflower. Indeed, Echinacea comes from the Greek word for hedgehog. Echinaceas are attractive to both nectar- and seed seekers.

Echinacea paradoxa, or Bush’s Coneflower, is native to parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, perhaps stretching the definition of “regionally native.” Its yellow flowerhead explains the specific epithet, “paradoxa.”

RUDBECKIAS

Orange Coneflower, Rudbeckia fulgida, is sometimes called Black-eyed Susan, and “Goldsturm” is a popular cultivar. Two other Rudbeckias are sometimes called Black-eyed Susan: Rudbeckia hirta which is a biennial that self-seeds readily, and Rudbeckia triloba, also known as Brown-eyed Susan, which can grow to 5’. Two additional native Rudbeckias which may be familiar to Ohio gardeners are Rudbeckia grandiflora (Tall Coneflower) and Rudbeckia laciniata (Cutleaf or Green-headed Coneflower).

RATIBIDAS

The two Ohio native Ratibidas are Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat, right) and Ratibida pinnata (Gray-headed Coneflower, left). These two species have quite different forms. Upright Prairie Coneflower grows 1-2’ in height while Gray-headed Coneflower can reach 5’. A third Ratibida that might be considered regionally native is Ratibida tagetes, Green Prairie Coneflower, native to Missouri and points west.

DRACOPIS

One other coneflower, albeit native to states south of Ohio and further west, is Clasping Coneflower, Dracopis amplexicaulis. Dracopis is a “monotypic” genus, consisting of a single species.

What do you think of when you hear “coneflowers”? Echinaceas, Rudbeckias, Ratibidas, and Dracopis are all Ohio or regionally native possibilities.

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¹Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. Taxonomic Data Center. (http://www.bonap.net/tdc). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]

An earlier version of this article was created for the July 2021 Delaware County Master Gardener Association Newsletter.

Photos by Randy Litchfield
© Randy Litchfield, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)