''Rudbeckia grandiflora'', commonly called rough coneflower, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

Description

It is a perennial from a woody base, growing to around 120 cm tall. It produces relatively large inflorescences, with 12-25 yellow ray flowers, each around 3–5 cm long. It blooms from late spring into summer.

Distribution

It is native to North America, where it is found primarily in the

south-central United States The South Central United States or South Central states is a region in the south central portion of the Southern United States. It evolved out of the Old Southwest, which originally was the western portion of the South. The states of Arkansas, ...

, including a disjunct population in northwest Georgia. The other populations farther east, all small and isolated, are believed to have originated from human introductions. Its typical natural habitat is in prairies and open woodlands.

Taxonomy

Two varieties are recognized: *''Rudbeckia grandiflora'' var. ''alismifolia'' - Stems glabrous or sparsely pubescent, with hairs ascending a less than 0.5 mm *''Rudbeckia grandiflora'' var. ''grandiflora'' - Stems with regular spreading hairs over 1 mm

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15550171 grandiflora Flora of Northern America Plants described in 1836