Giant Coneflower
(Rudbeckia maxima)
Top Left: Brown seed pods of a Giant Coneflower located in the ASMSA garden during the Fall of 2023.
Bottom Left: Picture of the flower of a Giant Coneflower.
Above: Stalk and leaves of a Giant Coneflower in the ASMSA garden Fall 2023.
Plant Characteristics
Plant Preference/Growing Conditions:
The Giant Coneflower can grow in direct sunlight or in a partly shaded area. It requires lots of water and grows in moist soil. It has a low resistance to droughts.
Growth Habit/Description:
The Giant Coneflower is a semi-evergreen plant that grows to about 8 feet tall on its stalk. Its leaves are simple, ovate, and gray/green in color. Its fruit is brown and copper. The flowers are bright yellow and contain about 7-20 petals that surround a brown seed pod.
Bloom Season:
The Giant Coneflower can bloom anywhere from March to September sprouting vivid yellow flowers from their brown seed pods.
Fall and/or Winter Interest?
No.
Distribution
Habitat: It typically lives in moist open places that have sandy and silty soil like moist roadside ditches.
Native to Arkansas? Yes
Native to Garland County? No
Endemic to Arkansas? No
Ecological Value
Host Plant for Caterpillars?
Yes. The Giant Coneflower is a host for the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth (Synchlora aerata).
Other Known Ecological Value?
Yes. The Giant Coneflower seeds attract birds like goldfinches that will eat the seeds.
Other Interesting Facts
Medicinal Purposes: There is actually no known medicinal purposes linked to the Giant Coneflower.
Fruit: Its fruit lasts throughout early winter.
References
“Rudbeckia Maxima.” Rudbeckia Maxima (Cabbage-Leaf Coneflower, Giant Brown-Eyed Susan, Giant Coneflower, Great Coneflower, Large Coneflower, Swamp Coneflower) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rudbeckia-maxima/#:~:text=Flowers%20attract%20butterflies.,Moderately%20deer%20resistant. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.
The University of Texas at Austin. “Plant Database.” Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin, www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ruma3. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.