Rudbeckia hirta, commonly calledblack-eyed Susan andyellow coneflower, is a North Americanflowering plant in the familyAsteraceae. It grows to 1 metre (3+1⁄2 ft) tall with daisy-like yellow flower heads. There are numerous cultivars. It is toxic when ingested by cats, but was usedmedicinally by Native Americans. It is thestate flower ofMaryland.
Rudbeckia hirta is an uprightannual (sometimesbiennial orperennial) growing 30–100 cm (12–39 in) tall by 30–45 cm (12–18 in) wide. It has alternate, mostly basalleaves 10–18 cm long, covered by coarse hair, with stout branching stems anddaisy-like, compositeflower heads appearing in late summer and early autumn. In the species, the flowers are up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter, with yellowray florets circling conspicuous brown or black, dome-shaped cone of many smalldisc florets.[2] However, extensive breeding has produced a range of sizes and colours, including oranges, reds and browns.[3][4]
Thespecific epithethirta is Latin for "hairy", and refers to thetrichomes occurring on leaves and stems.[6] Other common names for this plant include:brown-eyed Susan,brown betty,gloriosa daisy,golden Jerusalem,English bull's eye, poor-land daisy,yellow daisy, andyellow ox-eye daisy.[7]
Rudbeckia hirta is widely cultivated in parks and gardens, for summer bedding schemes, borders, containers, wildflower gardens, prairie-style plantings and cut flowers. Numerouscultivars have been developed, of which 'Indian Summer'[13] and 'Toto'[14] have gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[15] Other popular cultivars include 'Double Gold' and 'Marmalade'.
Gloriosa daisies aretetraploidcultivars having much larger flower heads than the wild species, often doubled or with contrasting markings on theray florets. They were first bred byAlfred Blakeslee ofSmith College by applyingcolchicine toR. hirta seeds; Blakeslee's stock was further developed byW. Atlee Burpee and introduced to commerce at the 1957Philadelphia Flower Show.[16] Gloriosa daisies are generally treated asannuals or short-livedperennials and are typically grown from seed, though there are some named cultivars.
The plant is thought to be aNative American medicine for various ailments.[18] The roots, though not the seedheads, can be used much like the relatedEchinacea purpurea with unsubstantiated claims to boostimmunity and fight colds, flu and infections. TheOjibwa people used it as apoultice forsnake bites and to make aninfusion for treating colds and worms in children.[19]
The black-eyed Susan was designated as thestate flower ofMaryland in 1918.[20][21] In this capacity it is used in gardens and ceremonies to celebrate, memorialize and show affection for the state of Maryland and its people. ThePreakness Stakes inBaltimore, Maryland, has been termed "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a blanket of Viking Poms, a variety ofchrysanthemums resembling black-eyed Susans, is traditionally placed around the winning horse's neck. (Actual black-eyed Susans are not in bloom in May during the Preakness.)[22]
In 1912, the black-eyed Susan became the inspiration for theUniversity of Southern Mississippi school colors (black and gold), suggested by Florence Burrow Pope, a member of the university's first graduating class. According to Pope:[23]
On a trip home, I saw great masses of Black-Eyed Susans in the pine forests. I decided to encourage my senior class to gather Black-Eyed Susans to spell out the name of the class on sheets to be displayed during exercises on Class Day. I then suggested black and gold as class colors, and my suggestion was adopted.
^Runkel, Sylvan T.; Roosa, Dean M. (1989).Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.
^Kartesz, John T. (2014)."Rudbeckia hirta".County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
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