Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)

Rudbeckia fulgida, or orange coneflower, is a well cultivated species in gardens around the world. Several varieties are commonly sold today, most which are varieties that do not occur in Virginia. Being selectively chosen to have longer and showier blooms, and cloned en-mass for market, these cultivars have possibly lost their ability to support pollinators as well as display vulnerabilities to diseases like powdery mildew and leaf spot fungi.

The wild type (Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida) is the specific subspecies agreed to most commonly occur in Virginia. These plants are the wild form, which is a fantastic and low maintenance species without losing any of the natural benefits to wildlife. They possess no issues with fungal issues or leaf spot.

The showy summer blooms attract many different bees, in particular small solitary native bees. They also attract beneficial wasps, small butterflies, beetles, and moths. Rudbeckia flowers support over two dozen specialist bees, insects which have evolved to rely on the pollen and nectar of the blooms of Rudbeckia and a select few other genuses to survive. Plants of the Rudbeckia genus are a host to 20 insects in our area.

Orange coneflower is a member of the Rudbeckia genus that many “Black-eyed Susans” are part of. This name can also refer to Rudbeckia hirta, which is a very similar looking biennial of the same genus as Orange coneflower, however the latter is a hardy and reliable perennial that spreads slowly (3 inches or less a year) by stolons and seeding into a clumping colony.