Ratibida columnifera Mexican Hat Longhead Prairie Coneflower Seeds & Plants
(ruh-TIB-ih-duh  kol-um-NEE-fer-uh  or  rah-TIB-id-ah  kol-lum-NIF-er-ah)
Easyliving Native Perennial Wildflowers
Native Wild Flower Plants & Seeds for Home Landscaping & Prairie Restorations

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Ratibida columnifera, also called Ratibida columnaris, Upright Prairie Coneflower, Long-headed Coneflower, Mexican Hat, and Thimble flower.  Mexican Hat will grow over most regions of the United States, it's natural range is dry open ground, and disturbed sites extending from southwestern Canada to northern Mexico, east to Minnesota and Texas. There are 2 species of Ratibida columnifera, one all yellow and one with red ray flowers (petals) touched with yellow.  The ray flowers droop at the base of an upright 1 to 2-inch-tall brownish cone.  Ratibida columnifera has an open airy growth pattern branching often above the base.  Plant Mexican Hat in full sun and well drained soil, prefers soil rich in limestone but is adaptable to other soils and is quite drought tolerant blooming the second season.  Ratibida columnifera grows well on loam, sandy loam, and clayey loam soils and is tolerant of weakly acidic to moderately alkaline soils and weak saline soils.  Mexican Hat wildflower has low to moderate water requirements and is found on dry plains, prairies, waste ground, and along roadsides and railroads.  Seeds do not need a pretreatment and can be planted fall through spring. 

Information below complements of USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1
  (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Alternate Names

Mexican hat, yellow Mexican hat, upright prairie coneflower, long-head coneflower, columnar prairie coneflower

 Tea was made from the leaves and flower heads.  Cheyenne Indians boiled prairie coneflower leaves and stems to make a solution applied externally to draw the poison out of rattlesnake bites.  An infusion was used to relieve the pain of headaches and to treat stomachaches and fevers (Moerman 1998).  A decoction was used as a wash to relieve pain and to treat poison ivy rash (Ibid.). 

Management

Prairie coneflower seeds can be planted in the fall.  If they are placed in winter storage for spring planting, they should be stratified with a cold dry treatment. 

Landscaping: Prairie coneflower is suggested for use in roadside plantings, parks, recreational areas and prairie restoration projects; where annual precipitation is from ten to thirty inches.  This species is sometimes grown as an ornamental. 

 Description

General: Composite Family (Asteraceae).  Prairie coneflower is a native perennial about a foot and a half tall.  The rays are generally three to five centimeters long, much longer than the disk (solid part between the rays).  The floral disk is somewhat globe-shaped, ovoid, or shortly ellipsoid, twelve to twenty millimeters high (Steyermark 1963).  Prairie coneflower has well-developed leaves up to fifteen centimeters long and six centimeters wide, pinnatifid to partly bipinnatifid, with ultimate segments linear to oblong, often very unequal (Great Plains Flora Association 1986).  This species has one to several stems twelve to forty-seven inches tall.  The fruit is a small ashen. 

 Adaptation

Ratibida columnifera grows well on loam, sandy loam, and clayey loam soils.  It prefers a sunny position and well-drained rich soil types.  This species is tolerant of weakly acidic to moderately alkaline soils and weak saline soils.  It has low to moderate water requirements.  Prairie coneflower is found on dry plains, prairies, waste ground, and along roadsides and railroads. 

 Establishment

Propagation by Seed: Ratibida columnifera seeds are best sown in early spring in a cold frame.  Cover the seeds and place the pot in a sunny location.  Optimum germination temperatures are between 68 to 86ºF, or 20 to 30ºC.  Germination should be achieved in two days

  Distribution: Prairie coneflower ranges from Alberta to Mexico, east to Manitoba, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas; and New England (Steyermark 1963

The map below shows areas where native Ratibida columnifera Mexican Hat, Upright Prairie Coneflower wild flowers grows wild but they can be planted and will grow over a wider area than shown.  USDA plant hardiness zones 2 to 9.  family Compositae

Use the chart below for shipping charges on Ratibida columnifera flower seeds, to order copy the order form or email questions, comments & orders to john@easywildflowers.com 

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Ratibida columnifera Mexican Hat, Upright Prairie Coneflower Plant distribution map complements of USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1
  (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.