The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: cutleaf coneflower, tall coneflower

Family: Asteraceae (aster, daisy, sunflower family)

Distribution: North America

Habitat: Wet sites, along streams, edges of woods; 10–600 m

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Comments: Cutleaf coneflower is usually found in rich woodlands, thickets, or along streams. It can grow a whopping 9' tall in the wild, but only half that height in cultivation. Like other plants in the Aster family, it features two types of flowers that constitute the flower head – ray and disc flowers. The yellow ray flowers droop downwards and surround a dome of the greenish yellow disc flowers. The flower heads appear in mid to late summer. A host of pollinators are attracted to this plant – bees, butterflies, moths, flies etc. A cultivar of cutleaf coneflower, called 'Golden Glow', is popular in the nursery trade for its flower heads of only ray flowers.