| Description | Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) is a native wildflower with clusters of small, bright flowers. It can be grown as an annual or a short-lived perennial. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (rud-BEK-ee-a) |
| Plant Type | Wild Flowers |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-8 |
| Sunlight | sun to light shade |
| Moisture | prefers moist moderately rich soils, tolerates average |
| Soil & Site | moderately rich |
| Flowers | The golden yellow flowers are 1-2" across. They are smaller than many of our other native Rudbeckia, but where they lack in size they make up in numbers. They have 8-10 rays with a dark brown, to black center. The blooms will last for almost two months. |
| Fruit | Have a dry fruit called an achene (a dry fruit where the seed separates from the seed coat) |
| Leaves | Some of the leaves are three-lobed, hence the species name triloba. |
| Stems | The stems can be reddish and are pubescent. |
| Roots | fibrous |
| Dimensions | 2'-5' tall |
| Maintenance | The plants readily self-seed and will naturalize through self-seeding. Deadheading, which is time-consuming since it produces a plethora of flowers, may help lower this. |
| Propagation | Will bloom the second year from seed. It acts as a biennial or triennial. (Ref. Prairie Nursery Catalog) |
| Misc Facts | The genus name Rudbeckia is named after Olof Rudbeck the Elder and his son Olof Rudbeck the Younger. Two Swedish botanists who were friends of Linnaeus. |
| Author's Notes | This a very common wild flower around southeastern Wisconsin (zone #5). I usually see it in damp areas. Produces a plethora flowers on bending stems. |
| Notes & Reference | #07- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Lawrence Newcomb), #224-Prairie Nursery website (www.prairienursery.com), #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens website (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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