Sunday, September 12, 2021

Plant of the Month (September) : Upright Prairie Coneflower / Mexican Hat – Ratibida columnifera

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!


Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera):
growth habit

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.


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’.


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. 


Upright Prairie Coneflower (Mexican Hat; Ratibida columnifera):
ripening seeds

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.


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.


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!


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.


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?

 

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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