prairie wildflower
Upright prairie coneflower
Ratibida columnifera
Also known as Mexican Hat, Red-spike Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Long-headed Coneflower, Thimbleflower
1 of 3Native to the Rockies, the Great Plains, and the Southwest and southern Canada
Southeastern British Columbia to Arizona, east to Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, south to central Mexico; naturalized eastward
- Light Full sun Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry to moist Moisture preference
- Zones 3–10 Cold to heat range
- Bloom Mar–Nov Flowering time
- Height up to 3 ft to 0.9 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A prairie wildflower for full sun and dry to moist soil. Its orange flowers peak in May. At up to 3 ft, it suits meadows and sunny borders. It shrugs off drought once established. Hardy in USDA zones 3–10.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
When it blooms
The Upright prairie coneflower's orange flowers bloom March to November, peaking in May. This late-spring display draws bees and butterflies.
Upright prairie coneflower blooms orange, yellow & brownFoliage
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee +21 more
Tricolored Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Tripartite Sweat Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Oblique Longhorn Bee, Dark-veined Longhorn Bee, Coneflower Mining Bee, Hoary Leafcutter Bee, Megachile albitarsis, Texas Nomad Bee, Stelis perpulchra, Graenicher's Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Epimelissodes petulcus, Xylocopa virginica virginica, Megachile policaris, Melissodes subillata, Planed Miner Bee - Butterflies Monarch
also Red Admiral, Black Swallowtail, Common Buckeye +16 more
Gray Hairstreak, Orange Sulphur, Variegated Fritillary, Queen, Common Checkered-Skipper and Allies, Peck's Skipper, Marine Blue, Reakirt's Blue, Western Pygmy-Blue, Funereal Duskywing, Fatal Metalmark, Melissa Blue, Arogos Skipper, Soapberry Hairstreak, Polites origenes, Mitoura gryneus - Wasps Mexican Honey Wasp
also Euodynerus pratensis, Euodynerus annulatus, Euodynerus hidalgo boreoorientalis +2 more
Hidalgo Mason Wasp, Euodynerus hidalgo hidalgo - Also visited by
- Flower flies:
Margined Calligrapher, Northern Plushback +3 more
Broad-headed Marsh Fly, Hairy-eyed Flower Fly, Eurasian Smoothwing - Beetles:
Checkered Melon Beetle, Acmaeodera mixta +1 more
Sutured Longhorn Beetle - Moths: Garden Webworm Moth, Lycaena dione
- Flower flies:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Black swallowtailnectar
- Common buckeyenectar
- Gray hairstreaknectar
- Juniper hairstreaknectar
- Marine bluenectar
- Melissa bluenectar
- Monarch butterflynectar
- Orange sulphurnectar
- Queennectar
- Reakirt's bluenectar
- Red admiralnectar
- Variegated fritillarynectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- The Rockies, the Great Plains, and the Southwest and southern CanadaUnited States (17): AR, AZ, CO, IA, ID, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, UT, WY. Canada (4): AB, BC, MB, SK. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Southeastern British Columbia to Arizona, east to Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, south to central Mexico; naturalized eastwardThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sunHow 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 3–10 · Canadian 2–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Various well-drained, usually calcareous soils. Also Limestone-based, Caliche type, Clay, Clay Loam, Medium Loam, Sandy Loam, SandyThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 5.9–7.0The 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.
- Drought tolerance
- HighRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.
- Salinity tolerance
- LowHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 3 ft (to 0.9 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
- Mar–NovWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- Orange, Yellow, BrownThe bloom color, or colors.
- Fruit/Seeds
- Achene; ripens Jan–DecThe 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
- ~0.7 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.