Gray-headed Coneflower
Family: Asteraceae (Aster
Family)
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Height: 3-4 feet
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Spread: 18-24 inches
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Bloom Time: June toAugust
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Bloom: composite flowers have a
dull-gray central disk in the shape of an elongated cylinder (1 inch long) with
bright drooping yellow ray flowers (1-2 inches long) attached at the bottom;
dry seed with no fluffy pappus
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Light: full sun
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Soil: prefers sandy
or clay soils; tolerates poor soils
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Moisture: dry to moist
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Use: prairies,
woods, rain gardens, butterfly gardens, naturalized areas; reduces erosion;
attracts butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects like wasps, flies,
beetles and ants; cut flowers; birds are attracted to fall seeds; larval host
plant to Waxy-Lined Emerald moth
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Care: easy to grow
and transplant; not inhibited by competition, and does well when used in
conjunction with other species; open structure
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Concerns: no serious
insect or disease problems; birds will feed heavily on the seed heads of this
flower in the fall of the year; advantageous for the wildlife watcher, but
maybe a potential problem for those growing this species for seed production
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Native to: Dane County and
most of Wisconsin; east coast from Vermont to Florida and westward to Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Nebraska, United States
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Notes: pinnately
divided leaves; tolerant of heat, drought, flooding and winter cold; fibrous
roots
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Supplier: Agrecol Native Nusery
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Teaching Garden
Location & Code: Demonstration Prairie I020
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