Subtribe Rudbeckinae | ||
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Rudbeckia /rʌdˈbɛkiə/ is a plant genus in the sunflower family. The species are commonly called coneflowers and black-eyed-susans; all are native to North America and many species are cultivated in gardens for their showy yellow or gold flower heads.
Contents
The species are herbaceous, mostly perennial plants (some annual or biennial) growing to 0.5–3 m tall, with simple or branched stems. The leaves are spirally arranged, entire to deeply lobed, 5–25 cm long. The flowers are produced in daisy-like inflorescences, with yellow or orange florets arranged in a prominent, cone-shaped head; "cone-shaped" because the ray florets tend to point out and down (are decumbent) as the flower head opens.
A large number of species have been proposed within Rudbeckia, but most are now regarded as synonyms of the limited list given below.
Several currently accepted species have several accepted varieties. Some of them (for example the Black-eyed Susan, R. hirta), are popular garden flowers distinguished for their long flowering times. There are many cultivars of these species.
Rudbeckia species are eaten by the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera species including Cabbage Moth and Dot Moth.
Etymology
The name was given by Carolus Linnaeus in honor of his teacher at Uppsala University, Professor Olof Rudbeck the Younger (1660-1740), and his father Professor Olof Rudbeck the Elder (1630-1702), both of whom were botanists. Rudbeckia is one of at least four genera within the flowering plant family Asteraceae whose members are commonly known as coneflowers; the others are Echinacea, Dracopis and Ratibida.
Species
- Rudbeckia alpicola Piper – Showy Coneflower - Cascades in Washington State
- Rudbeckia auriculata (Perdue) Kral – Eared Coneflower - Alabama, Georgia, Florida Panhandle
- Rudbeckia californica A.Gray – California Coneflower - California
- Rudbeckia flava T.V.Moore - Colorado, Wyoming
- Rudbeckia fulgida Aiton – Orange Coneflower - eastern USA + Canada, Texas to Connecticut + Quebec
- Rudbeckia glaucescens Eastw. – Waxy Coneflower - northwestern California, southwestern Oregon
- Rudbeckia graminifolia (Torr. & A.Gray) C.L.Boynton & Beadle – Grassleaf Coneflower - Florida Panhandle
- Rudbeckia grandiflora (Sweet) DC. – Rough Coneflower - mostly east Texas to Missouri; scattered locales from Georgia to Ontario
- Rudbeckia heliopsidis Torr. & A.Gray – Sunfacing Coneflower - Mississippi to Virginia
- Rudbeckia hirta L. – Black-eyed Susan - widespread in USA + Canada
- Rudbeckia klamathensis – Klamath Coneflower - northwestern California
- Rudbeckia laciniata L. – Cutleaf Coneflower, Green-head Coneflower - widespread in USA + Canada
- Rudbeckia maxima Nutt. – Great Coneflower - mostly east Texas to Missouri
- Rudbeckia missouriensis Engelm. ex C.L.Boynton & Beadle – Missouri Coneflower - Texas to Illinois; mostly in Ozarks
- Rudbeckia mohrii A.Gray – Mohr's Coneflower - Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia
- Rudbeckia mollis Elliott – Softhair Coneflower - Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina
- Rudbeckia montana A.Gray – Montane Coneflower - Colorado, Utah, Oregon
- Rudbeckia newmannii Loudon
- Rudbeckia nitida Nutt. – Shiny Coneflower - Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana
- Rudbeckia occidentalis Nutt. – Western Coneflower - from Colorado to Washington + northern California
- Rudbeckia scabrifolia L.E.Br. – Roughleaf Coneflower - Louisiana, eastern Texas
- Rudbeckia speciosa – Showy Coneflower - eastern USA
- Rudbeckia subtomentosa Pursh – Sweet Coneflower - mostly Mississippi Valley
- Rudbeckia texana (Perdue) P.B.Cox & Urbatsch – Texas Coneflower - Louisiana, eastern Texas
- Rudbeckia triloba L. – Brown-eyed Susan - from eastern Texas to Quebec; isolated locales in Colorado + Utah
Uses
Many species are used in prairie restorations and for ornamental use. Used by domestic stock for forage. An abundance of these plants on a rangeland indicates good health.