Grassleaf Coneflower

Description

Botanical Name:    Rudbeckia graminifolia

Common Name:    Grassleaf Coneflower

Description:   This is a stunningly beautiful perennial wildflower that is endemic to only six Florida counties in the Panhandle/Apalachicola National Forest area.

Grassleaf Coneflower is quite different from other Florida species of Rudbeckia in that its solitary blooms have short, burgundy to almost black ray florets (the part that looks like petals) surrounding the conelike center where the tiny yellow disk florets are. The flowers are small, about 1″ across. Its leaves are different too: they are small, narrow, and grasslike.

Its burgundy flowers bloom late spring into late summer, sometimes fall. Leave the seedheads on the plant so it can reseed itself because it is a short-lived perennial. It is not an aggressive reseeder. This is a short Rudbeckia that grows to only 1 – 2 feet tall, so plant it in the front of the garden beds or in containers.

Native habitat for Grassleaf Coneflower is wet savannas, wet prairies, moist ditches, bogs, and cypress stringers. Not surprisingly, it can grow in shallow water. This is a perfect candidate for your rain garden. Plant it in a moist area of your garden in sand or loamy soil, in sun to part sun. It can handle short periods of drought, but grows better with supplemental water during very dry times.

This is a host plant for Silvery Checkerspot butterfly and the Wavy-Lined Emerald moth. Small birds like to eat the seeds. Bumble bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers for pollen and nectar. It is deer resistant.

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low to no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray.

Burgundy is my favorite color, so at least one of these is going into my personal garden!

This plant in 1-gallon containers is 5 – 15 inches tall.

Plant Lore:   The species name “graminifolia” is Latin for “grass-leaved”. Now you know where its common name comes from!

Florida Hardiness Zones 8 – 9