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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): fall color for the garden |
Wow,
it’s already September! The days of summer go quickly in a garden. Some of the early bloomers have already gone
to seed. But many late summer species are
adding color (and food) to the September garden. One such plant is the Upright Prairie
Coneflower, Ratibida columnifera. The scientific name is pronounced ruh-TIB-ih-duh kol-um-NEE-fer-uh.
The
genus Ratibida, member of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae), consists
of seven species native to North America.
Several are limited to Mexico, while others are more widespread in the
U.S and Mexico. Two species, Ratibida tagetes and Ratibida
columnifera, are native to the eastern plains and southwestern counties
of Colorado.[1] Fortunately, these two species grow well in
gardens on the Western Slope and in the Four Corners region, as well as other in
other parts of the U.S.
Ratibida
columnifera’s native
range extends from SE British Columbia, Canada, south to Mexico and east to the
American Great Plains. In the wild, Upright
Prairie Coneflower can be found in several Colorado plant communities, including
pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands, prairies, grasslands, and
disturbed areas, from about 3500 to 7000 ft. elevation. Sites are often sunny, dry and open; the
species is common along roadsides in some areas. All this hints at a tough, resilient plant,
which the Prairie Coneflower is, indeed!
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): growth habit |
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): foliage |
Ratibida
columnifera is a
clump-forming, herbaceous perennial. Plants are usually 1-2 ft. tall, but may
be up to 3 ft. The leaves, which can be up to 6 inches long, are deeply lobed (above),
giving the plant a lacy appearance. The
leaves and stems are medium green and the stems are roughly hairy. Plants have a stout, deep taproot.
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): flowering plant |
Upright Prairie Coneflower is a late-summer bloomer in our area,
most often from August through September, but sometimes as early as July – even
June at lower elevations. As is typical of the Sunflower family, flowers are
clustered in flowering heads. Individual flowering heads occur at the tips of
slender stems, which may be erect or drooping. The flower heads look somewhat like a Mexican
sombrero, hence the common name ‘Mexican Hat’.
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): close-up of flower heads |
The
larger ray flowers (above) may be entirely yellow, yellow with maroon blotches
or even completely dark red-brown and are characteristically reflexed (bent away
from the disc flowers and towards the stalk).
We grew our plants from seed and most have the yellow-and-maroon ray flowers,
although the yellow form is more common in the wild. The ray flowers, while
showy, are infertile.
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): ripening seeds |
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): seeds |
The
central disc flowers, which are dark purple, are clustered about a central cone
that rises an inch or so above the ray flowers. These tiny flowers are fertile
and attract native bee pollinators. Mature
seed heads (above) have a pleasant aroma. The seeds are dry achenes. Ratibida
reseeds well, making it a good plant for naturalizing. Seeds can be easily collected for spreading
to other parts of the garden – or giving away to friends and neighbors.
Ratibida columnifera is
easy to grow from seed. The best way is to simply scatter seeds in the fall,
lightly raking them in so they are barely covered. Seeds benefit from the
winter chill and will sprout in spring. Alternatively, seeds may be planted in
spring, after storing them (dry, in a plastic bag) in the refrigerator for 3
months.
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): seedlings |
Grow
Prairie Coneflower in full sun or part-shade, in USDA Zones 3-10. It tolerates
most types of soils and most pH levels encountered in gardens. It needs no
additional fertilizer unless grown in containers. And it tolerates medium-dry soil
conditions – a boon to Western gardeners. In fact, this species is fairly
drought tolerant, though irrigation can extend the bloom season. It is mostly disease and pest-free. And it can hold its own against other plants. Its only drawback is that it may be too
successful in competing with weaker species.
Why
consider Upright Prairie Coneflower for your garden? Well, it’s easy-to-grow and you ultimately get
a lot of plants from a packet of seeds (what a bargain!). It’s a great plant for filling bare spots;
you can always remove plants when you want to replace them with something else.
You can grow it in a deep pot on a patio if that’s all the garden you have. But there are many additional benefits to
planting Ratibida columnifera.
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): good filler plant in new gardens |
It's
a great habitat plant, attracting both specific and generalist native bee
pollinators. Caterpillars of some moths feed on the foliage. And seed-eating
birds love the seeds in summer/fall. In fact, some people grow this plant just for
the birds!
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): Bumblebee appraches |
Both
flowers and foliage have a tradition of medicinal use. Infusions of the foliage
have been used as a topical (applied to skin) agent to treat painful rashes and
poison ivy; infusions of the flowers for headache. [2] The flowers can be used
to make a yellow-orange natural dye.
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): looks especially good with native grasses and wildflowers |
We
like the look of Upright Prairie Coneflower in the garden. It pairs well with its
natural companions: western wheatgrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, prairie
Junegrass, Sandberg bluegrass, common gaillardia, white and purple prairie
clover, big sagebrush, and western yarrow.[3]
It provides a touch of fall color against the yellows and purples of
other sunflowers and agastache. It’s a
nice size, fitting well between the lower groundcovers and spikes of taller
plants. And it’s an easy naturalizer, which is great for larger gardens.
So,
there are many reasons to consider Ratibida columnifera for the home
garden. Perhaps you should order some seeds for fall planting?
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| Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera): good choice for gardners in USDA Zones 3-10. |
For a
gardening information sheet see:
For more
pictures of this plant see:
For plant
information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
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1. Ackerfield,
J. Flora of Colorado. Brit Press, 2015
2.
http://johnwagman.com/rgvnp/Mexican%20Hat%20-%20Ratibida%20columnifera/
3.
https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_raco3.pdf
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We welcome your comments (below). You can also send your questions to: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com
