Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia sect. Macrocline
cone-flower, rudbeckia
Texas coneflower
erect, branched distally or ± throughout.
green, bluish green, or purplish (usually glaucous).
cauline; mostly opposite (distal sometimes alternate);
petiolate or sessile;
blades mostly lanceolate to oblanceolate overall, usually 1–3-pinnately lobed or -pinnatisect, ultimate margins toothed or entire, faces glabrous or hairy (oil-glands scattered and/or submarginal).
often bluish green, glaucous;
basal (usually persistent to flowering) petiolate or sessile;
blades linear, lanceolate to ovate, or oblong to elliptic, usually lobed, bases attenuate, cuneate, or rounded, ultimate margins entire, crenate, dentate, or serrate, apices acute to obtuse, faces glabrous or hairy, sometimes glaucous;
cauline petiolate or sessile, blades linear or ovate to pandurate, sometimes lobed, bases auriculate, rounded, or attenuate, ultimate margins entire or dentate to serrate, apices acute to obtuse, faces glabrous or hairy, sometimes glaucous.
narrowly cylindric or fusiform to turbinate or broadly campanulate, 1–12+ mm diam.
convex to conic, smooth or finely pitted, epaleate.
usually conic to columnar (hemispheric to ovoid in R. laciniata);
paleae not surpassing cypselae (except in R. laciniata), margins ciliate, apices acute to obtuse or rounded to truncate, attenuate to apiculate, usually hairy.
0 or 1–8(–13+) (to 100+ in “double” cultivars), pistillate, fertile (except “double” cultivars);
corollas yellow or orange, red-brown (with or without yellow/orange), or white.
0 or 8–15+;
corollas bright yellow.
6–120+, bisexual, fertile;
corollas greenish yellow to orange, sometimes tipped with red or red-brown, tubes much longer than or about equaling funnelform throats, lobes 5, deltate to lance-linear (equal or 2 sinuses deeper than others).
(100–)150–300(–600+);
corollas proximally yellow to yellowish green, distally yellow or greenish to brown-purple;
anther appendages sometimes abaxially gland-dotted;
styles 3–7 mm, branches 1–2.2 mm, proximal 2/3–4/5 stigmatic, apices acute to rounded.
persistent, 3–21+ in 1–2 series (connate to 7/8+ their lengths, usually streaked and/or dotted with oil-glands).
in 2(–3) series.
0.
radiate or discoid, borne singly or in ± corymbiform arrays.
borne singly or in loose, corymbiform to paniculiform arrays.
narrowly obpyramidal or fusiform-terete, sometimes weakly flattened, glabrous or hairy;
pappi persistent, of 2–5(–10) dissimilar, distinct or connate scales in ± 1 series: 0–5+ oblong to lanceolate, erose-truncate or laciniate plus 0–2(–5) longer, subulate to aristate.
(3–)3.5–7.5 mm;
pappi usually coroniform or of 2–6, unequal scales, 0.1–2.5 mm, sometimes 0.
12–60(–80) × 10–30 mm.
= 12.
= 18.
Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia sect. Macrocline
Species 23 (23 in the flora).
The species of Rudbeckia are distributed among three major clades or lineages. Although relationships among the lineages are not robustly resolved, the lineages are treated here as sections (as they have been traditionally). Rudbeckia hirta and sometimes other species of the genus are used in experimental studies relating to initiation of flowering and hairy root culture. Most species are rich sources of phytochemicals that may offer potential for pharmaceutical or other uses.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 13 (13 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Annuals (stems glabrous); leaves sessile, blades elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, oblong, or ovate (not lobed, bases auriculate and clasping, faces glabrous, glaucous); phyllaries in 2 series (lengths of outer 2–4+ times inner, inner sometimes interpreted as paleae); paleae surpassing cypselae, margins ciliate, faces usually glabrous; pappi 0 | sect. Dracopis |
1. Annuals, biennials, or perennials (if epappose annuals, stems hairy); leaves petiolate or sessile, blades elliptic, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, ovate, or spatulate (often lobed, faces glabrous or hairy, sometimes glaucous; if leaves sessile and not lobed and bases auriculate and clasping, then robust perennials); phyllaries in 2(–3) series; paleae sometimes surpassing cypselae, margins usually ciliate, rarely eciliate, faces glabrous or hairy; pappi usually coroniform or of 2–6+ scales, sometimes 0 (sometimes cypselae each with glandular hairs around apices in R. heliopsidis) | → 2 |
2. Leaves often bluish green, glaucous; receptacles usually conic to columnar (paleae not surpassing cypselae, except in R. laciniata: paleae surpassing cypselae, receptacles sometimes hemispheric to ovoid, disc corolla lobes yellow); ray florets 0 or 8–15+, corollas bright yellow; disc corollas proximally yellow to yellowish green, distally yellow or greenish to brown-purple; cypselae (3–)3.5–7.5 mm; pappi coroniform, or of 2–6 scales 0.1–2.5 mm | sect. Macrocline |
2. Leaves green, not glaucous; receptacles usually conic to hemispheric, rarely columnar (paleae surpassing cypselae); ray florets 6–25+, corollas usually yellow-orange proximally, yellow distally, sometimes with basal maroon splotch (orangish red to maroon in R. graminifolia); disc corollas proximally yellow to yellowish green, distally usually brown-purple, lobes sometimes yellowish or greenish; cypselae 1.5–3.5(–4) mm; pappi coroniform, or of 8+ unequal scales 0.1–2 mm, or 0 (sometimes cypselae each with glandular hairs around apices in R. heliopsidis) | sect. Rudbeckia |
1. Basal and cauline leaves 0.2–1.5 cm wide | R. mohrii |
1. Basal and cauline leaves 2–15(–45) cm wide | → 2 |
2. Blades of basal and proximal cauline leaves elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate, usually 1–2-pinnatifid or -pinnately compound (leaflets/lobes 3–11, distal cauline leaves sometimes lobed as well) | → 3 |
2. Blades of basal, and proximal and mid, cauline leaves elliptic or lanceolate (not lobed, sometimes coarsely toothed, margins of distal cauline leaves crenate, dentate, entire, or toothed, not lobed) | → 7 |
3. Blades of all but distalmost leaves usually 1–2-pinnatifid or pinnately lobed (basal leaves not lobed and proximal cauline usually 3-lobed in var. heterophylla, known only from Florida); receptacles hemispheric or globose to ovoid; disc corolla lobes yellow (rhizomes elongate, slender, plants usually colonial); Rocky Mountains and e United States | R. laciniata |
3. Blades of basal leaves ± pinnatifid to pinnately lobed (distal leaves sometimes not lobed); receptacles columnar, conic, cylindric, or ovoid; disc corolla lobes yellowish green, greenish, or purplish (rhizomes stout, plants usually not colonial); w United States (including Rocky Mountains) | → 4 |
4. Leaves sparsely to densely hairy on abaxial or both faces | → 5 |
4. Leaves usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy on veins abaxially | → 6 |
5. Leaves moderately to densely hairy (both faces); rays 0; pappi of 4 scales, to 1 mm; Washington | R. alpicola |
5. Leaves sparsely hairy (abaxial faces); rays 8–21; pappi coroniform or of scales, 0.5–1.5 mm; California | R. californica |
6. Rays 7–15; phyllaries to 1.5 cm (apices acute to rounded); discs 15–35 mm; California | R. klamathensis |
6. Rays 0; phyllaries to 4 cm (apices attenuate); discs 20–60 mm; Colorado Rockies, Utah | R. montana |
7. Mid (and often proximal) cauline leaves sessile, bases of blades usually auriculate (clasping) to truncate, sometimes rounded, faces (one or both) glabrate or hairy, or glabrous | → 8 |
7. Mid cauline leaves petiolate, bases of blades attenuate to cuneate (not clasping), faces (one or both) glabrous or hairy | → 10 |
8. Leaves bluish green (fresh, heavily glaucous; dried blades white under reflected UV light, at least abaxially); discs 40–80 mm; adjoining areas of Arkansas, Louisiana,Oklahoma, Texas (introduced South Carolina) | R. maxima |
8. Leaves green (fresh; dried blades dark under reflected UV light, at least abaxially); discs 12–25 mm; Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Texas | → 9 |
9. Cauline leaf bases auriculate, clasping; heads (usually 10+) in paniculiform ar-rays; discs 12–16 mm; paleae 4–6 mm; Alabama, Florida | R. auriculata |
9. Cauline leaf bases auriculate or rounded, not clasping; heads (usually to 15) in ± corymbiform arrays; discs 12–25 mm; paleae 6–8 mm (stems often purplish); w Louisiana, e Texas 13. Rudbeckia scabrifolia | R. scabrifolia |
10. Leaf margins serrate or entire, faces usually sparsely to densely hairy (mostly abaxially), rarely glabrous; rays 0; n Rocky Mountains and Pacific states | R. occidentalis |
10. Leaf margins entire, serrate, serrulate, or toothed, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy; rays 7–16; Pacific states or se United States | → 11 |
11. Leaves bluish green (heavily glaucous); California, s Oregon | R. glaucescens |
11. Leaves green (sometimes lightly glaucous); se United States | → 12 |
12. Basal leaf blades 15–50 × 3–9 cm (lengths ± 5 times widths); discs 20–45 mm; paleae 6–8 mm, apices acute (appressed in young heads); cypselae 5–7.5 mm; w Louisiana, e Texas | R. texana |
12. Basal leaf blades 15–60 × 2–8 cm (lengths ± 7 times widths); discs 10–30 mm; paleae 5–6 mm, apices acute to acuminate (erect to spreading in young heads); cypselae 3–5.5 mm; n Florida, s Georgia | R. nitida |
- Local floras:
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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