Rudbeckia hirta

Rudbeckia hirta is an upright annual (sometimes biennial or perennial) growing {{convert|30|-|100|cm|0|abbr=on}} tall by {{convert|30|-|45|cm|0|abbr=on}} wide. It has alternate, mostly basal leaves 10–18 cm long, covered by coarse hair, with stout branching stems and daisy-like, composite flower heads appearing in late summer and early autumn. In the species, the flowers are up to {{convert|10|cm|0|abbr=on}} in diameter, with yellow ray florets circling conspicuous brown or black, dome-shaped cone of many small disc florets.{{cite web |title=#766 Rudbeckia hirta |url=https://floridata.com/plant/766 |website=Floridata |access-date=September 8, 2020}} However, extensive breeding has produced a range of sizes and colours, including oranges, reds and browns.{{cite book |first=Christopher |last=Brickell |title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants |date=September 2008 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=United Kingdom |isbn=978-1405332965 |pages=1136}}

There are four varieties{{ThePlantList}}{{eFloras|1|200024393|Rudbeckia hirta |tribe=Heliantheae |first1=Lowell E. |last1=Urbatsch |first2=Patricia B. |last2=Cox}}

• Rudbeckia hirta var. angustifolia – southeastern + south-central United States (South Carolina to Texas)
• Rudbeckia hirta var. floridana – Florida
• Rudbeckia hirta var. hirta – Eastern United States (Maine to Alabama).
• Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima – Widespread in most of North America (Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to Alabama and New Mexico; naturalized Washington to California).

The specific epithet hirta is Latin for "hairy", and refers to the trichomes occurring on leaves and stems.{{cite web |title=Native Meadow Wildflowers |url=http://www.ontariowildflower.com/wildflower_meadow.htm#blackeyed%20susan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218015548/http://www.ontariowildflower.com/wildflower_meadow.htm#blackeyed%20susan |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=September 8, 2020 |website=Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers}} Other common names for this plant include: brown-eyed Susan, brown betty, gloriosa daisy, golden Jerusalem, English bull's eye, poor-land daisy, yellow daisy, and yellow ox-eye daisy.{{Cite book |last1=Runkel |first1=Sylvan T. |title=Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest |last2=Roosa |first2=Dean M. |publisher=Iowa State University Press |year=1989 |location=Ames, IA}}

It is native to eastern and central North America, and is naturalized in the west, being found in all 10 Canadian Provinces and all 48 states of the contiguous United States. It is also naturalized in China.{{BONAP|ref|genus=Rudbeckia|species=hirta}}{{eFloras|2|200024393|Rudbeckia hirta|first1=Yousheng|last1=Chen|first2=D. J.|last2=Nicholas Hind|volume=20–21}}

Butterflies are attracted to Rudbeckia hirta.{{cite magazine |last=Schillo |first=Rebecca |year=2011 |editor-last=Cummings |editor-first=Nina |title=Native Landscaping Takes Root in Chicago |magazine=In the Field |page=13}} It is a larval host to the bordered patch, gorgone checkerspot, and silvery checkerspot species.The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.

Dragonflies, voracious eaters of mosquitoes, are attracted by the tiny pollinators of these flowers.{{cite web |title=Invite Dragonflies Into Your Garden |url=https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/landscaping-and-hardscaping/invite-dragonflies-into-your-garden}}

Rudbeckia hirta is widely cultivated in parks and gardens, for summer bedding schemes, borders, containers, wildflower gardens, prairie-style plantings and cut flowers. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which 'Indian Summer'{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/100327/Rudbeckia-hirta-Indian-Summer/Details |access-date=17 February 2021}} and 'Toto'{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - Rudbeckia hirta 'Toto' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/153500/Rudbeckia-hirta-Toto-(Toto-Series)/Details |access-date=17 February 2021}} have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants - Ornamental |date=July 2017 |page=93 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=11 October 2018}} Other popular cultivars include 'Double Gold' and 'Marmalade'.

Gloriosa daisies are tetraploid cultivars having much larger flower heads than the wild species, often doubled or with contrasting markings on the ray florets. They were first bred by Alfred Blakeslee of Smith College by applying colchicine to R. hirta seeds; Blakeslee's stock was further developed by W. Atlee Burpee and introduced to commerce at the 1957 Philadelphia Flower Show.{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Gloriosa, the Eliza Doolittle of Daisies |first=Allen |last=Lacy |date=July 21, 1988 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/21/garden/a-gardener-s-world-gloriosa-the-eliza-doolittle-of-daisies.html |access-date=2013-10-22}} Gloriosa daisies are generally treated as annuals or short-lived perennials and are typically grown from seed, though there are some named cultivars.

The species is toxic to cats when ingested.{{cite web |title=List of plants toxic to cats |url=http://www.icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-safe/cats-and-poisonous-plants}}

The plant is thought to be a Native American medicine for various ailments.{{cite book |last=Moerman |first=Daniel E. |date=August 15, 1998 |title=Native American Ethnobotany |publisher=Timber Press |location=Oregon |isbn=0-88192-453-9}} The roots, though not the seedheads, can be used much like the related Echinacea purpurea with unsubstantiated claims to boost immunity and fight colds, flu and infections. The Ojibwa people used it as a poultice for snake bites and to make an infusion for treating colds and worms in children.{{cite web |title=Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) |url=http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Survival_Gold_Uygur/Pages/Black-EyedSusan.html |website=Survival Plants of the Northeastern US |publisher=Brandeis University |access-date=September 8, 2020}}

File:Black eyed susan dyke road (20013843578).jpg

The black-eyed Susan was designated as the state flower of Maryland in 1918.{{cite web |date=September 19, 2018 |title=Maryland State Flower - Black-Eyed Susan |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/symbols/flower.html |access-date=September 8, 2020 |work=Maryland Manual Online |publisher=Maryland State Archives}}{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Fiscal and Policy Notes (HB 345) |url=http://mlis.state.md.us/google_docs$/2010rs/fnotes/bil_0005/HB0345.PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607215447/http://mlis.state.md.us/google_docs%24/2010rs/fnotes/bil_0005/HB0345.PDF |archive-date=2011-06-07 |access-date=2010-03-13 |publisher=Department of Legislative Services - Maryland General Assembly}} In this capacity it is used in gardens and ceremonies to celebrate, memorialize and show affection for the state of Maryland and its people. The Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland, has been termed "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a blanket of Viking Poms, a variety of chrysanthemums resembling black-eyed Susans, is traditionally placed around the winning horse's neck. (Actual black-eyed Susans are not in bloom in May during the Preakness.){{cite news |last=Reimer |first=Susan |date=May 16, 2014 |title=Neither Susans nor daisies |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bs-md-preakness-black-eyed-susans-20140516-story.html |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun}}

In 1912, the black-eyed Susan became the inspiration for the University of Southern Mississippi school colors (black and gold), suggested by Florence Burrow Pope, a member of the university's first graduating class. According to Pope:{{cite book |url=https://www.usm.edu/centennial/drawl.pdf |title=The Drawl: The History and Traditions of the University of Southern Mississippi |date=2010 |publisher=The University of Southern Mississippi |edition=Centennial |page=10 |access-date=5 September 2015}}

On a trip home, I saw great masses of Black-Eyed Susans in the pine forests. I decided to encourage my senior class to gather Black-Eyed Susans to spell out the name of the class on sheets to be displayed during exercises on Class Day. I then suggested black and gold as class colors, and my suggestion was adopted.

Rudbeckiahirta1web.jpg|Inflorescence and involucral bracts

Rudbeckia hirta Indian Summer.JPG|Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer'

Northern Crescent 3.jpg|Phyciodes cocyta butterfly

Nahaufnahme einer Blüte einer Schwarzäugigen Rudbeckie.jpg|In a German front garden

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081217172132/http://www.nyflora.org/newsletters/newsletter_44.pdf Knowlton Foote. 2001. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta L.)]. New York Flora Association Newsletter Vol. 13.
• [https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/rudbeckia-hirta Rudbeckia Hirta], Florida Native Plant Society

{{US state flowers}}

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Category:Butterfly food plants

Category:Flora of Northern America

Category:Plants described in 1753

Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine

hirta

Category:Symbols of Maryland

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus