Green-headed coneflower is a tall native wildflower of floodplains, streambanks, and moist woods across much of the US and Canada. In late summer and fall it carries big yellow daisies with a greenish, button-like center. The young spring leaves, known as sochan, are a traditional Cherokee cooked green. It's also called cutleaf coneflower.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A robust perennial usually about 6 ft (2 m) tall, sometimes taller.
- Leaves
- Alternate leaves up to 8 in (20 cm) long; the lower ones are deeply cut into several lobes.
- Flowers
- Flower heads are 2–6 in (5–15 cm) across, with 8–14 drooping golden-yellow rays around a green to yellowish-green center.
- Flowering time
- Late summer into fall.
- Fruit
- Small, dry seeds about 1/8–1/4 in (3–6 mm) long.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Floodplains
- Streambanks
- Moist woods
- Wet meadows
- Range
- Native across much of the US and southern Canada.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows best in damp, rich soil and spreads by underground stems (), so it can form large patches.
Growing it
- Care
- Grown in gardens and for cut flowers. Because it spreads by rhizomes, it's best for large spaces.
- Propagation
- Spreads by seed and by rhizomes.
- Toxicity
- Considered somewhat toxic to livestock; there is circumstantial evidence of poisoning in horses, sheep, and pigs.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Botanists split it into six regional varieties, from the Rocky Mountains to Florida.
- Varieties and forms
- Double, pompom-flowered garden plants are sold as 'Goldquelle' and similar forms. The name goldenglow is also used for this plant.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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