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Yellow Coneflower

Ratibida pinnata

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Category
Forb / Wildflower
Sun
Full to Partial
Soil moisture
Medium to Medium-Dry
Bloom time
Jul–Sep
Bloom color
Yellow

About Yellow Coneflower

Yellow Coneflower, also known as Gray-headed Coneflower, is a tall and elegant prairie staple that adds movement and grace to the late summer landscape. Reaching heights of 3 to 5 feet, it features slender, wiry stems topped with beautiful flowers consisting of drooping, bright yellow petals surrounding a gray, button-like central cone. When crushed, the cones emit a pleasant, anise-like scent. Native to the tallgrass prairies of the central United States, it is a hardy and adaptable perennial that can thrive in a variety of conditions. It is a magnet for pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, and its seeds are a favorite food source for goldfinches in the fall. Yellow Coneflower is exceptionally easy to grow from seed, thriving in full sun to partial shade and tolerating a wide range of soils from medium to medium-dry. Its deep taproot makes it very drought-tolerant once established. With its long bloom period and high wildlife value, it is an essential component of any prairie restoration or large-scale pollinator garden.

Native range

Native to 29 states:

AlabamaArkansasConnecticutFloridaGeorgiaIowaIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMissouriMississippiNebraskaNew JerseyNew YorkOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeVirginiaVermontWisconsinWest Virginia

County range map

BONAP county-level native range map for Ratibida pinnata

Range map courtesy of BONAP (Biota of North America Program).

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