Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses - Grayhead prairie coneflower

GRAYHEAD PRAIRIE CONEFLOWER

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Ratibida pinnata (Vent. ) Barnhart

Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 3-5 feet

Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family

Flowering Period: June, July, August

Stems:

Erect, slender, single or clustered, sometimes branched above, grooved, more or less stiff-hairy.

Leaves:

Alternate, long-stalked below, nearly sessile above, to 10 inches long, pinnately 3-7-divided; segments lanceolate, widest at middle, stiff-hairy; margins coarsely toothed to entire; tips pointed; upper leaves reduced.

Inflorescences:

Heads, 1 to several, terminal, on long, stiff stalks, oblong to rounded, 1/2 to 1 inch tall, 2/5 to 4/5 inch wide; bracts 10-14, in 2 series, linear to linear-oblong.

Flowers:

Ray florets 6-13, 1 to 2.5 inches long, yellow, drooping; tips toothed; disk florets with brownish corollas, each covered by gray scale prior to opening.

Fruits:

Achenes, short, flattened, tips without bristles or scales, enclosing small seed.

Habitat:

Dry prairies, disturbed areas, roadsides, and woodland edges, most abundant on limestone or chalk soils.

Distribution:

East 1/3 of Kansas.

Forage Value:

Livestock graze young plants.

Uses:

Native Americans used the root to treat toothaches.

Comments:

Grayhead prairie coneflower can be grown easily from seeds and makes an attractive addition to flower gardens.