woodland wildflower

Grey-headed coneflower

Ratibida pinnata

Also known as Grayhead Coneflower, Gray-headed Coneflower, Grayhead Mexican Hat, Gray-headed Mexican Hat, Pinnate Prairie Coneflower, Yellow Coneflower

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Western Pennsylvania and southern Ontario to Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, south to Georgia, Louisiana and Oklahoma

Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry to moist Moisture preference
Zones 3–9 Cold to heat range
Bloom May–Sep Flowering time
Height up to 5 ft to 1.5 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for full sun to part shade and dry to moist soil. At up to 5 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 3–9.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee +64 more
American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Tricolored Bumble Bee, Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Agapostemon texanus, Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Yellow-banded Bumble Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Blue Orchard Bee, Dark-veined Longhorn Bee, broad-handed leafcutter bee, Southern Plains Bumble Bee, Pugnacious Leafcutter Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Coneflower Mining Bee, Megachile inimica, Brown-winged Long-horned Bee, Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo, Cherry Mining Bee, Worthy Longhorn, Agile Longhorn Bee, Megachile brevis, Ceratina dupla, Hylaeus affinis, Experienced Sweat Bee, Triepeolus cressonii, hoary sweat bee, Broad-faced Masked Bee, Big-cheeked Angled-Mason, Obliterated Longhorn-Cuckoo, Melissodes boltoniae, Melissodes vernoniae, Nomada affabilis, Melissodes niveus, white-winged sweat bee, Andrena miserabilis, Augochlorella persimilis, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Sunflower Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Andrena alilciae, Lunate Longhorn-cuckoo Bee, Svastra obliqua, Lasioglossum disparile, Bombus sp., Megachile pyrrhothorax, Drury's Long-horned Bee, Leioproctus clypeatus, Augochlora feronia, Hoplitis pilosifrons, Forbes's Sweat Bee, Coelioxys brevis, Two-banded Cellophane-cuckoo Bee, Coelioxys alternata, Svastra petulca, Coelioxys modesta, Triepeolus concavus, Epimelissodes petulcus
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Eastern Calligrapher, Transverse-banded Flower Fly, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly +5 more
Wavy Mucksucker, Adorned Bee Fly, Black-haired Psyllid-killer, grasshopper bee fly, Geron rufipes
Butterflies Monarch

also Black Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent, Gray Hairstreak +7 more
Eastern Tailed-Blue, Variegated Fritillary, Clouded Sulphur, Horace's Duskywing, Red-banded Hairstreak, Elymnias mimalon, Elkalyce comyntas
Also visited by
- Beetles:
  
  Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Black Diabrotica +6 more
  Eight-spotted Flower Longhorn Beetle, Notch-tipped Flower Longhorn Beetle, Mordellistena comata, Downy Long-horned Beetle, Sutured Longhorn Beetle, Flat-headed Baldcypress Sapwood Beetle
- Moths:
  
  Wavy-lined and Southern Emeralds, Toadflax Brocade Moth +2 more
  Ironweed Clearwing Moth, Celery Leaftier Moth
- Wasps: Hidalgo Mason Wasp, Zethus spinipes

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (22): AL, AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, WI, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Western Pennsylvania and southern Ontario to Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, south to Georgia, Louisiana and OklahomaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–9 · Canadian 4–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Tolerant of a wide range of soils: sandy to clay and calcareous soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil pH: 5.6–6.8The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 5 ft (to 1.5 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 14+ in (36+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: May–SepWhen it flowers.
Flower color: YellowThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: AcheneThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Container, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.4 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.