Ratibida columnifera (Yellow Prairie Coneflower)

From CONPS: Place this cheerful long blooming native in full sun on any well-drained soil. Excellent drought tolerance. Good nectar and pollen source for pollinators, small birds eat the seeds. 12" - 18" in height. Yellow flowers August - September.

GIAB:

Yellow Prairie Coneflower

Latin Name: Ratibida columnifera Mature Height: 18-24”

Mature Spread: 18-24”

Hardy To: 8,000’

Water: Very Low

Exposure: Sun

Flower Color: Yellow

Flower Season: Early to Late Summer Attracts: Bees, Butterflies, Birds Resistant To: Deer

Description: A Colorado native, the Yellow Prairie Coneflower

is most commonly found in prairies, plains, meadows, pastures, savannahs, along roadsides, and throughout the Great Plains. Its linear, bright green leaves make up an airy clump with a multitude of leafless, slender stalks capped by yellow flowers with drooping rays surrounding a long, red-brown central disk. Sometimes called “Mexican Hat”, the colorful flower heads resemble the traditional broad-brimmed, high-centered sombreros, or hats, worn during Mexican fiestas. This plant is very drought-tolerant, not fussy about soils, and a heavy bloomer that will produce hundreds of flowers once mature.

Care: If you want this plant to reseed, then after flowering, let the seed mature completely (the cones will become dry and brown). Can divide or thin out every 3 years to maintain vigor.

Fun Fact: Traditionally, medicinal tea has been made from the leaves and stalks of the Prairie Coneflower to treat stomach ache and pain in the side and from the flowers to treat headache. The Cheyenne Indians boiled the leaves and stems to make a wash for snakebite and poison ivy.