Star Seed

A hardy annual native to the Southeastern United States, and has naturalized throughout most of North America. The identifiable black, cone-shaped heads are surrounded by bright yellow, drooping reflexed ray flowers. Clasping Coneflower prefers full sun in various soil conditions and often forms dense colonies in moist areas. It has an averate planting success of 80 percent and grows to a height of 1 1/2-2 feet. Clasping Coneflower blooms from Juneto September and is used in roadsides, prairies, waste places, and slopes.

Clasping Coneflower is a very heavy reseeder and another wonderful variety for cut arrangements. This is a smooth-stemmed, annual coneflower, 2-3 ft. tall, with terminal, solitary flower heads. The leaves are oblong with heart-shaped, clasping bases. The yellow petals, with reddish-purple bases, are numerous and droop away from the dark, elongated, cone-shaped center. This species clasping leaves differentiate it from Black-eyed Susan and Mexican Hat.

Click here to see the USDA Plant Fact Sheet

IMAGE: Haddock, Michael John. Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, 2005.