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Asteraceae
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Encouragement, motivation, justice.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Rudbeckia
- Native to
- Eastern and central North America
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- biennial or short-lived perennial
- Height
- 30–100 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, tolerates poor soil
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- Biennial or short-lived perennial
Did you know
- The black-eyed Susan is the state flower of Maryland and gives its name to the official cocktail of the Preakness Stakes.
- Native Americans used the plant medicinally as a diuretic and to treat colds, snakebites, and worms.
- Carl Linnaeus named the genus Rudbeckia in honor of his mentor and his mentor's father, both Swedish botanists named Olof Rudbeck.
- The dark central cone is actually composed of hundreds of tiny tubular florets, while the yellow 'petals' are sterile ray florets.
- Black-eyed Susans are pioneer plants — among the first to colonize disturbed soil, abandoned fields, and roadsides.