| Description | Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is a common prairie wild flower found in most areas of the United States. It acts as a biennial, annual or short lived perennial. If the spot is favorable it will readily reproduce by seeds. |
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| Pronunciation | (rud-BEK-i-ah)(HER-tah) |
| Plant Type | Wild Flowers, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 5 |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average, dry to moist |
| Soil & Site | Native to dry, mesic or wet prairies. |
| Flowers | single on top a stem, 8-20 golden yellow petal-like ray flowers and center dome of disk flowers dull brown to almost black, an annual, short lived perennial often listed as a biennial. Starts blooming in July. |
| Fruit | achene (a dry fruit where the seed separates from the seed coat) |
| Leaves | alternate. simple, coarsely hairy, lower leaves sessile and clasping, upper leaves petiolate, oblong to lanceolate |
| Stems | bristly |
| Roots | fibrous |
| Dimensions | 1-3 feet tall |
| Propagation | seeds, moist stratification can improve germination |
| Native Site | Native to North America. |
| Misc Facts | The seeds are a favorite food for Goldfinches and House Finches. Hirta is latin for hairy or rough referring to the leaves and stem. Many different garden cultivars have R. hirta in their family tree. |
| Notes & Reference | #09-The Prairie Garden (J. Robert Smith with Beatrice Smith), #40-Herbaceous Ornamental Plants (Steven Stills),#41-Wildflowers of Wisconsin (Stan Teikiela),#56-Tall Grass Prairie Wildflowers (Doug Ladd) |
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