Tall Coneflower

Rudbeckia grandiflora var. grandiflora

I discovered a group of these lovely wildflowers blooming in our grassland many years ago. When we moved onto our property and began our restoration, I was determined to protect them and increase their numbers. Luckily, I had noticed a large group of Tall coneflowers blooming along a couple nearby roadsides. We began collecting and sowing the seeds. Within a few years they were well established and blooming. I'm so glad we gathered the seeds when we did! Sadly, the roadside flowers have been badly decimated by the spraying and mowing done by our roadside maintenance program.


  1. NAME
  2. BLOOM
  3. POLLINATORS
  4. DESCRIPTION
  5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
  6. HABITAT
  7. CONSERVATION STATUS
  8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

Latin Name/Common Name- The Swedish taxonomist, Carl Linnaeus assigned the scientific name, Rudbeckia in honor of his botany teacher, Olof Rudbeck.

The specific epithet grandiflora refers to the large size of these beautiful flowers.

Tall Coneflower is the most used common name. This, of course, refers to the elevated height of this plant compared to its relatives.


Single flowers occur at the ends of branches. Once open, the flowers are quite large- up to 5 inches across. Take a look below at the stages of the flower from bud to fully open. At first the petals (ligules) are somewhat folded or rolled. As the flower opens, the beautiful petals unfold.

  • Unopened flower
  • Bud and bracts
  • Newly opening flower
  • Flower in peak bloom

    • The stem and leaves of Tall coneflower have easily visible spreading hairs. Stem leaves are sparse and alternate, becoming smaller and more widely separated toward the upper part of the plant. Below the midpoint of the plant, leaves are larger and more closely spaced. They are lanceolate in shape. Large basal leaves with long petioles occur in clusters at the plant base. These leaves have shallow teeth. Two veins are easily seen on each side of a leaf.

  • 2 veins on each leaf side
    2 veins on each leaf side
  • Spring leaves and stems
    Spring leaves and stems
  • Stem leaf and distal stem
    Stem leaf and distal stem
  • Hirsute stem
    Hirsute stem

    • Rudbeckia grandiflora is visited by numerous and varied insects.

    Bees and Wasps

  • American Bumble bee
    American Bumble bee
  • Southern Plains Bumble bee
    Southern Plains Bumble bee
  • Genus Svastra
    Genus Svastra
  • Hidalgo Mason wasp
    Hidalgo Mason wasp

    • Butterflies & Skippers

  • Pipevine swallowtail
    Pipevine swallowtail
  • Common Buckeye
    Common Buckeye
  • Funereal Duskywing
    Funereal Duskywing
  • Fiery skipper
    Fiery skipper

    • Other Insect Visitors

  • Common Tree Cricket
    Common Tree Cricket
  • Grasshopper
    Grasshopper

    • And lastly, here is a very well camouflaged and tiny Bee Fly.

    Bee Fly
    Bee Fly

    Liatris pycnostachya is frequently found growing alongisde and blooming simultaneously with Rudbeckia grandiflora. It's so often nearby that I find it in the background of many, if not most, of my photos!

  • With Liatris pychnostachya
  • with Liatris pychnostachya

    • Additional common companions include Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifloium), Rosined (Silphium integrifolium), Butterfly milkweed (Asclepius tuberosa), Slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) and Grassleaf rush (Juncus marginatus).

  • Eryngium yuccilofium and Juncus marginata
    Eryngium yuccilofium and Juncus marginata
  • Silphium integrifolium, Eryngium yuccifolium, Liatris pycnostachya
    Silphium integrifolium, Eryngium yuccifolium, Liatris pycnostachya
  • with Helianthus mollis
    with Helianthus mollis
  • with Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
    with Pycnanthemum tenuifolium

    • Other companions-

  • with Vernonia baldwinii
    with Vernonia baldwinii
  • with Echinacea purpurea and Elymus canadensis
    with Echinacea purpurea and Elymus canadensis

    • You'll likely find Rudbeckia grandiflora growing in prairie and grassland habitat. This hardy native handles both mesic and dry soils as well as full sun to partial shade. Other habitats include woodland edge, open woods and glades. Occasionally I find it along roadsides, especially when the ground has been disturbed but not recently mowed or sprayed.

  • Prairie/Grassland
    Prairie/Grassland
  • Disturbed habitat
    Disturbed habitat
  • Glade
    Glade
  • Woodland edge
    Woodland edge

    • Rudbeckia grandiflora var. grandiflora has a limited range from Texas to Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and south to Arkansas and Louisiana. It is absent from the eastern southern states except for Georgia. Natureserve lists it as No Status Ranking in all of these states except for Missouri, where it is Critically Imperiled and Kansas where it Imperiled. The rest of these states show No Status Ranking.

    In Arkansas, Rudbeckia grandiflora var. grandiflora has a Conservation Value of 9 (out of 10), meaning "Conservative taxa with strong fidelity to intact habitats. These taxa tend to exhibit late-successional characteristics like long lifespans with low seed sets and an inability for far ranging dispersal".


    Arkansas has two varieties of Rudbeckia grandiflora.

    • Rudbeckia grandiflora var. grandiflora (described on this page)
    • Rudbeckia grandiflora var. alismifolia

    They can be differentiated by the hairiness of their stems and leaves.

    • R. grandiflora var. grandiflora - hairy stems and leaves
    • R. grandiflora var. alismifolia - hairless or with sparse hairs

    They have regional differences in Arkansas.

    • R. grandiflora var. grandiflora > found across AR excluding northern part of Ozark plateaus & northern Mississippi Alluvial Plain
    • R. grandiflora var. alismifolia > central eastern AR, Grand Prairie, Pinelands & Prairies of Gulf Coast Plain

    They are found in different habitats.

    • R. grandiflora var. grandiflora - Prairie/grasslands (both mesic and dry), Open woods
    • R. grandiflora var alismifolia- Prairies, Openings and Pinelands