Gray-Headed Coneflower

Photo of several grayhead prairie coneflowers with sky in background
Scientific Name
Ratibida pinnata
Family
Asteraceae (daisies, sunflowers)
Description

Perennial herb with one to several slender, hairy stems growing from a horizontal rootstock. Flowerheads with 6–15 drooping yellow ray florets to 3 inches long. The disk rises conelike above the rays, reaching about 1 inch in length. It starts out gray, then turns brown as the florets open. Blooms May–September. Leaves pinnately divided into 3–7 segments, narrowly lanceolate, toothed.

Similar species: Of the two other prairie coneflowers (genus Ratibida) in Missouri, only one is likely to be encountered. Longhead prairie coneflower, or Mexican hat (R. columnifera), is scattered in the western half of the state. It grows from a taproot, and its conelike disk reaches 2 or even 2¾ inches long. Other Missouri plants called coneflowers include 5 species of Echinacea and 9 species of Rudbeckia.

Common Name Synonyms
Grayhead Prairie Coneflower; Drooping Coneflower
Size
Height: 15 inches to 5 feet.
Where To Find
image of Gray-Headed Coneflower Grayhead Prairie Coneflower Drooping Coneflower Distribution Map
Scattered nearly statewide, but absent from the Southeast Lowlands and nearby Ozark counties.
Occurs in upland prairies, glades, savannas, openings and edges of rich to dry upland forests, and rarely banks of streams; also fencerows, pastures, railroads, and roadsides. It is also cultivated as a garden ornamental.
We have three genera of plants called coneflowers in Missouri. Those in the genus Ratibida are called prairie coneflowers. Other Missouri plants called coneflowers include species of Echinacea, which all have simple leaves, spiny disks, and purple or pinkish flowers, except for yellow coneflower (E. paradoxa). Rudbeckias, such as black-eyed Susan, are also often called coneflowers. Like echinaceas, their leaves are usually unlobed, but they lack the spiny disks.
Prairie coneflowers are popular native plants for flower gardening. Native Americans used them for a variety of medicinal uses and also made tea out of the flowers and leaves. If you rub the disks, they smell something like anise.
Bees, butterflies, and other insects are drawn to the flowers, where they receive nectar in exchange for their cross-pollination services. Herbivores ranging from caterpillars to woodchucks eat the leaves.
Media Gallery
Photo of several grayhead prairie coneflowers in a field
Noppadol Paothong
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Photo of two grayhead prairie coneflowers just starting to bloom
Noppadol Paothong
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Image of Gray-Headed Coneflower.
Gray-Headed Coneflower
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Photo of several grayhead prairie coneflowers in a field
Photo of two grayhead prairie coneflowers just starting to bloom
Image of Gray-Headed Coneflower.
Similar Species
About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri
A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!