long-headed coneflower

(Ratibida columnifera)

Conservation Status
long-headed coneflower
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N3N5 - Vulnerable to Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Long-headed coneflower is an erect, perennial forb that rises on a solitary stem or, more commonly, multiple stems from a taproot. It can be 12 to 40 tall but usually reaches no more than 24 in height.

The stems are erect, unbranched or occasionally branched above the middle, grooved, hairy, and rough to the touch.

The leaves are alternate, spreading, ¾ to 6 long, and 5 16 to 2 wide. Lower leaves are on leaf stalks up to 2 long, upper leaves are stalkless. The leaf blades are deeply divided into 3 to 15 lobes (pinnatifid) which may be again divided into lobes (bipinnatifid). The ultimate lobes are narrowly linear lance-shaped or narrowly oblong egg-shaped, up to 2 long, and 1 32 to wide. They have 1 inconspicuous vein and may be pointed or blunt at the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are covered with short, appressed, stiff hairs and are dotted with glands. The margins are untoothed.

The inflorescence is a single, 2 to 3 long flower head at the end of each stem and branch. A single, multi-stemmed plant may have up to 15 flower heads. The flower heads are held well above the leaves on prominently ribbed stalks that may be 2½ to 10 long or more.

Each flower head is composed of 4 to 12, usually 6, ray florets and a central disk with 200 to 400 or more disk florets. The ray florets are yellow, lance egg-shaped to elliptic inversely egg-shaped, ¼ to 1 long, and to wide. They droop downward at the base of the receptacle. The receptacle is shaped like a column, to 2 long, and ¼ to ½ wide. The disk florets are 1 32 to 3 32 wide with greenish-yellow corollas that are purplish-tinged toward the tip.

The fruit is a dark purple achene.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

12 to 40

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Yellow ray florets.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

 

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry. Prairies, pastures, roadsides, railroads. Full sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

June to September

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

 
  5/7/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)  
 

Family

Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)  
  Subfamily Asteroideae  
  Supertribe Helianthodae  
  Tribe Heliantheae (sunflowers and allies)  
  Subtribe Rudbeckiinae (black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, and prairie coneflowers)  
  Genus Ratibida (coneflowers)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Some plants have maroon or purplish ray florets. These are more common in the southwestern states. Some authorities treat this as a separate variety or form, var. pulcherrima or f. pulcherrima.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Ratibida columnaris

Rudbeckia columnifera

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

longhead prairie coneflower

long-headed coneflower

Mexican hat

upright coneflower

upright prairie coneflower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bipinnatifid

Twice pinnatifid. Cut deeply into lobes with each lobe also cut into deep lobes.

 

Chaff

Thin, dry scales or bracts; the bracts on the receptacle of the flower head of some Asteraceae.

 

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Pinnatifid

Deeply cut, more than half way to the midrib but not to the midrib, into lobes that are spaced out along the midrib; the lobes do not form separate leaflets.

 

Receptacle

The thickened, upper part of a flower stalk to which flowers or flower parts are attached. In composite flowers, the part on which the flowers are borne. In accessory fruits the receptacle gives rise to the edible part of the fruit.

 
 
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Plant

 
    long-headed coneflower   long-headed coneflower  
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    long-headed coneflower   long-headed coneflower  
           
 

Flower Head

 
    long-headed coneflower   long-headed coneflower  
           
 

Leaves

 
    long-headed coneflower      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Ratibida columnifera
Susanne Wiik
 
  Ratibida columnifera  

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Ratibida columifera - Präriesonnenhut
MrKatzengreis
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 21, 2012

No description available.

   
  Ratibida columnifera conservation
PLANTS272
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jul 28, 2011

Susan describes the conservation benefits of 'Stillwater' upright prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnifera, a perennial wildflower native to North America with conservation applications. For more information on Ratibida, log onto the Plants database or contact jim.jacobs@mt.usda.gov.

   

 

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