Flower profile

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Upright prairie coneflower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 10 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

37states where USDA records it

10Bloomipedia state lists include it

38,900U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming

Quick look

Ratibida columnifera, commonly known as upright prairie coneflower, rocketflower, Mexican hat, and longhead prairie coneflower, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the genus Ratibida in the family Asteraceae. It is native to much of North America and inhabits prairies, plains, roadsides, and disturbed areas.
From Wikipedia's article Ratibida columnifera, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 37 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3.1 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 26,017 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #9 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,243 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #43 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,452 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #26 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,596 records)

Bloom time in the 10 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	April–June	26,017
Colorado	Native	June–August	3,243
New Mexico	Native	June–August	1,452
Oklahoma	Native	May–June	901
South Dakota	Native	few records (37)	770
Kansas	Native	few records (19)	587
Nebraska	Native	few records (29)	551
Montana	Native	few records (31)	521
North Dakota	Native	June–August	508
Wyoming	Native	few records (21)	298

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Colorado.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Montana.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records upright prairie coneflower in 37 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Texas counties with USDA records: Andrews, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Cameron, Carson, Castro, Chambers, Childress, Coleman, Collingsworth, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, DeWitt, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Floyd, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Gray, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Harris, Hartley, Hays, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Hockley, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Karnes, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lamb, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Motley, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Reeves, Roberts, Robertson, San Jacinto, San Saba, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Starr, Stephens, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wheeler, Wichita, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Yoakum, Young, Zapata, Zavala.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Adams, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Cheyenne, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Montezuma, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Lea, Lincoln, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Upright prairie coneflower a high shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.9 to 7.0 and winter lows down to -43 °F.

Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: Medium
Moisture use: Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range: 5.9 to 7.0
Minimum temperature tolerated: -43 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 90
Annual precipitation range: 16 to 40 inches
Minimum root depth: 14 inches
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by: container, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for RACO3. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Lepachys columnifera, Lepachys columnaris, Ratibida columnaris, Rudbeckia columnifera.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 713 counties across 30 states; the most are in Texas (139), Kansas (105), Nebraska (74).

Other Ratibida on Bloomipedia (1): Grey-headed coneflower.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Texas flowers

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Straggler daisy

Calyptocarpus vialis

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–May

Frostweed

Verbesina virginica

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: September–November

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RACO3.
iNaturalist, Ratibida columnifera: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ratibida columnifera (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (13):
Show all 13 state lists
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ratibida columnifera (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Center for Urban Ecology via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.