Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Tap
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Size Class: 1-3 ft.
Fruit Type: Achene
Leaf Color: Green
Flower Size: 2 inches

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow , Brown
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Bloom Notes: Late spring through July; often into August and September if moisture is available.

Distribution

USA: AL , AZ , AR , CO , CT , FL , GA , ID , IL , IN , IA , KS , LA , MA , MI , MN , MS , MO , MT , NE , NJ , NM , NY , NC , ND , OH , OK , PA , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , WV , WI , WY
Canada: AB , BC , MB , SK
Native Distribution: S.e. B.C. to AZ & Mex., e. to WI, IL, MO, AR, OK & TX; naturalized eastward
Native Habitat: Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannahs, Roadsides
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Various well-drained, usually calcareous soils. Also Limestone-based, Caliche type, Clay, Clay Loam, Medium Loam, Sandy Loam, Sandy.
Conditions Comments: This is a drought tolerant plant that withstands competition. Plants with rich, brown-purple ray flowers are form pulcherima. Mexican Hat is a fast growing wildflower that is not fussy about soils and is easy to grow from seed. Showy flowers bloom over a long season. Foliage has a strong odor that repels deer. CAUTION: it grows aggressively and may push out other weaker species.
Texas comments: Mexican hat is a fast growing and drought tolerant wildflower that withstands competition. It is not fussy about soils and is easy to grow from seed. Its showy flowers bloom over a long season and its foliage has a strong odor that repels deer. It also makes a great cut flower. CAUTION: it grows aggressively and may push out other weaker species.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Color, Attractive, Blooms ornamental, Wildflower meadow, Perennial garden, Rocky hillside, Patio pot plant
Use Wildlife: Nectar-Bees, Nectar-Butterflies, Nectar-insects, Seeds-Granivorous birds, Deer will eat this flower
Use Food: Beverage tea from leaves. (Kindscher)
Use Medicinal: Tea from leaves and stalks used for stomach ache and pain in side. Tea from flower used for headache. Boiled leaves and stems used as wash for snakebite and poison ivy. (Kindscher)
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: High

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Very easy to propagate from seed in spring or fall though a fall seeding is recommended. Seeds do not have to be treated but may benefit from a period of stratification. Plants from seed usually bloom the second year. Be sure the seed is in good contact with the soil by lightly raking it into loose topsoil. Seeding rate is two to four pounds per acre. There are approximately 1,230,000 seeds per pound.
Seed Collection: Seed is available commercially or can be collected in late summer. Collect seed from several plants to increase the spectrum of color. If possible, collect seed from plants with solid yellow ray petals to contrast with plants with reddish-brown ray plants.
Seed Treatment: Stratify at 40 degrees for 9 weeks.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Supplemental watering may be required if the winter and spring are unusually dry. Watering in summer often extends the flowering period. After flowering ceases, allow seed to completely mature (let cones become dry and brown) before mowing for reseeding or collecting seed to plant in another area.

Please support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: How are wildflowers in Central Texas used by wildlife?
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: What kinds of medicinal plants do you have at the Wildflower Center?
click here to view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge - Wimberley, TX
Nueces River Authority - Uvalde, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX

Bibliography

Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.
Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, S.
Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G. O.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
* Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.
* Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ratibida columnifera in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ratibida columnifera in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ratibida columnifera