FNPS Plant Database

Rudbeckia fulgida

orange coneflower
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

orange coneflower

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Rudbeckia fulgida

Family:

Asteraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

2–3 ft tall by 1.5–2.5 ft wide, clump–forming

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow, orange

Fruit Color:

brown, black

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Spread by stolons and can self-seed. Blooms summer-early fall

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden, border plant, rain gardens, containers.

Considerations:

Availability:

Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed. Self sows. Clumps can be divided.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Mildly acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds

Attracts bumble bees, butterflies Larval host for the silvery checkerspot, found only in extreme north Florida.

Small birds eat the seed. Deer tend to avoid this.

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods, open pine/oak forests, ruderal areas

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Blooms mid- summer into fall.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Brakie, M. (2019). Plant Guide for Black-eyed Susan ( Rudbeckia hirta ). ( ). Accessed 2026. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, East Texas Plant Materials Center. Nacogdoches, TX.


Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA). (Undated). Silvery Checkerspot, Chlosyne nycteis [in] Butterflies and Moths of North America. ( https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Chlosyne-nycteis ). Accessed 2026.


Gilman, Edward F, Teresa Howe, Ryan W. Klein, and Gail Hansen. (2024). Rudbeckia hirta , Blackeyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy. ( https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/fp512 ). Accessed 2026. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Horth, L, Campbell, L, & Bray, R. (2014). Wild bees preferentially visit Rudbeckia flower heads with exaggerated ultraviolet absorbing floral guides. Biology open, 3(3), 221–230. ( https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.20146445 ). Accessed 2026. National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.


Missouri Botanical Garden.  Accessed 2022.  https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=g630


University of Minnesota. (Undated). Black Eyed Susan [in] Plants for Pollinators. ( https://plantsforpollinators.weebly.com/black-eyed-susan.html ). Accessed 2026. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.

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