Ratibida pinnata

Yellow Coneflower

Ohio Native Plant Natural Range

To view the natural range of Ratibida pinnata visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website.
Gray -headed Coneflower seem to be dancing in the sunshine - by Jim Wohl

Cultivation Information Yellow Coneflower

Ratibida pinnata - Photo by Jim Wohl

Height - 5 ftFlower Color - YellowBlooms - July - SeptemberSun - Full Sun to Part ShadePerennialHardy Zone - 3 to 9Soil - Medium to Medium Dry
Family - Asteraceae
Ratibida pinnata - by Roger Dahlin
Coneflowers add character to a garden by Jim Wohl

Wildlife Significance Yellow Coneflower


 Pollen -This plant is popular with several species of bees: Cuckoo bee, large Leaf- Cutting bees, Green Metallic bees and syrphid flies
Nectar - Syrphid flies, butterflies including: viceroy, sulphur, eastern tailed-blue, crescent and hairstreak
Host Plant - For caterpillars of the Silvery Checkerspot (butterfly) and Wavy-lined Emerald Moth, which is a lime green moth that blends in with the leaves of Ratibida pinnata perfectly. If you have a keen eye you might be lucky enough to spot these fellows during the month of June
Seed - Goldfinches and other songbirds For more details on this plant, visit the Illinois Wildflower website
Propagation Notes Yellow Coneflower
Seed Stratification
Cold Storage - 30 days - Small zip lock plastic bag with a few tablespoons of moistened vermiculite
Seeds Planted - 2-12-2012Sprouted - 2-29-2012Night Temperature - 61 - 63 °FDay Temperature - 64 - 65° F -Under florescent lights
Outdoors - Sowing seeds in the fall also works well. Creating a simple cold frame with protect young seeding in the spring Collecting Seed - Harvest mature seed late in the fall when they turn from brown to black
Seed Provenance Ratibida pinnata
Nodding Onion Gardens - 2012 to present, Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN - Nodding Onion Gardens - 2012