Rudbeckia laciniata (Wild Golden Glow)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Wild Golden Glow)
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Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) expresses the viable seed content of a seed lot using its purity and germination or viability test results. It helps you compare seed lots and calculate how much bulk seed is needed to meet a specified PLS planting rate.
PLS weight and bag weight
PLS weight is not the same as the total weight of seed in a bag. For example, a lot with 80% purity and 75% viability contains 60% PLS: 80 × 75 ÷ 100 = 60. Supplying 10 lb PLS from that lot requires about 16.67 lb of bulk seed.
Use the current seed test and the stated basis of the mix specification. Germination calculations may include applicable hard or dormant seed. Seed-count estimates also require the number of seeds per pound; PLS alone does not provide a seed count.
What to check when buying a mix
Check whether each rate is stated in PLS pounds, bulk pounds, or a combination. A mix with both bases should not be described as having an all-PLS total.
PLS does not remove weed seeds or guarantee establishment. Review the seed label and analysis for weed content, and match site preparation, planting conditions and follow-up management to your project.
Sources: USDA NRCS, Understanding Pure Live Seed and The Importance of Seed Quality for Natural Resource Conservation.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
Cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) has yellow flowers with raised greenish centers and large, deeply divided leaves. The flowers appear from summer into early fall on tall stems. In favorable conditions this is a substantial perennial, not a small black-eyed Susan for the front of a bed.
Moist soil in partial sun suits it well. Use it along a damp woodland edge, in a wet meadow, or at the back of a large planting. Taller stems may lean, particularly where growth is lush or the site is exposed.
Long underground rhizomes allow it to spread into colonies, sometimes aggressively. That behavior can provide coverage on a large site but can overwhelm nearby small plants. Removing seed heads does not prevent rhizomatous spread. Choose a location where expansion is acceptable, or plan to remove unwanted growth along the edge of the patch.
Plant specifications
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Partial sun |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Moist |
| Height | 3-8 ft |
| Bloom season | Mid-summer to early fall |
Native landscape companions
For partial sun / light shade and moist soil, consider these native plants alongside Rudbeckia laciniata:
| Companion plant | Height |
|---|---|
| Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) | 3-7 ft |
| Dark-green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens) | About 2½–4 ft |
| Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides) | 4-7 ft |
| Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) | About 4-10 ft |
These landscape suggestions combine overlapping growing needs with documented plant associations. Match soil, seasonal wetness and mature spread to your site. Remnant records are described separately under Plant communities & associates.
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Growth habit | Tall perennial forming colonies through long rhizomes; may spread aggressively |
|---|---|
| Root form | Fibrous roots; Rhizomes |
| Soil pH | Published cultivation guidance lists acidic, alkaline, neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established. |
| Cultivation hardiness zones | Zones 3a–9b (general cultivation guidance) |
| Drought tolerance | High |
| Salt tolerance | None |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Rudbeckia laciniata |
|---|---|
| Other common names | wild golden glow; Cutleaf Coneflower; Green-Head Coneflower; Green Headed Coneflower; Tall Coneflower; Wild Goldenglow |
| Seed germination | USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary. |
| Plant family | Asteraceae |
| Seeds per pound — reference estimate | 252222 |
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associatesNo verified list yet
Illinois woodland and stream communities
Middle Fork Woods, Vermilion County (1999–2002 survey). Recorded in: perennial stream corridor.
Perennial stream corridor — selected native associates: Phlox divaricata, Sorghastrum nutans, Acer saccharinum.
These plants share a recorded habitat; they were not necessarily found in the same small plot.
Spring Bay Fen Nature Preserve — wet-mesic floodplain forest
Surveyed in 2007, 2008 and 2011. Wet-mesic floodplain forest recorded separately from the adjoining fen. These dated records do not establish presence today.
Other native plants recorded in this surveyed community: Acer nigrum, Acer saccharinum, Agastache nepetoides, Amorpha fruticosa, Anemone canadensis, Arisaema dracontium, Arisaema triphyllum, Blephilia hirsuta, Carex blanda, Carex emoryi.
Murphy, Phillippe & Ebinger 2021, Appendix 1. Selected associates from the same community; records do not show immediate neighbors or prescribe planting ratios.
Spring Bay Fen Nature Preserve — tall shrub fen
Surveyed in 2007, 2008 and 2011. Tall shrub fen on Lena muck, recorded separately from the adjoining forest and filled upland. These dated records do not establish presence today.
Other native plants recorded in this surveyed community: Acer saccharinum, Amorpha fruticosa, Asclepias incarnata, Blephilia hirsuta, Bolboschoenus fluviatilis, Caltha palustris, Carex hystericina, Carex stipata, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Chelone glabra.
Murphy, Phillippe & Ebinger 2021, Appendix 1. Selected associates from the same community; records do not show immediate neighbors or prescribe planting ratios.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.
| Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest | FACW |
|---|---|
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 4 |
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Alabama; Arizona; Arkansas; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming |
| County nativity | Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity. |
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects
This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.
Butterflies & skippers
- Chlosyne nycteis — Silvery Checkerspot
Moths
- Epiblema carolinana — Gray-Blotched Epiblema
- Marmara auratella — X
- Papaipema nelita — Coneflower Borer
- Phtheochroa birdana — Bird's Cochylid
Other insect & wildlife relationships
Caterpillars this plant can feed
Wavy-lined Emerald.
- Nectar and pollen: Flowers offer nectar and pollen to bees and butterflies.
- Seed and nesting: Goldfinches and other songbirds eat the seeds; stem-nesting bees use dead stems.
Additional published species records; Illinois insect occurrence is not established by this account. These records do not guarantee that every insect occurs at your planting site.
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for Wild Golden Glow?
Light: Partial sun. Soil moisture: Moist.
How do I germinate and establish Wild Golden Glow from seed?
USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary.
Is Wild Golden Glow deer and herbivore resistant?
Species-specific deer resistance has not been verified here. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.
When should I expect Wild Golden Glow to bloom?
Typical flowering period: Mid-summer to early fall. Timing varies with location and weather.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Landscape companion selection: Natural Communities compared the growing requirements shown on these species pages with selected source records: Perennial stream corridor — East-central Illinois; Tall shrub fen — Illinois River valley. The shortlist is a planting-design inference. A shared record does not establish adjacency, identical soil requirements, local seed origin, or a tested planting combination. Regional synthesis records retain their documented focal-to-associate scope.
Illinois woodland records: Larimore, Phillippe & Ebinger (2008), Middle Fork Woods flora, Appendix I. © 2008 University of Illinois Board of Trustees, CC BY 4.0. Habitat records transcribed, selected and linked to catalog names by Natural Communities. Survey: 1999–2002.
Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online; USACE National Wetland Plant List.
Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA NRCS PLANTS; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.
Wildlife records: Shropshire & Tallamy: caterpillar hosts (2025).
Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.
Research notes & credits
USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.
Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.
Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
Caterpillar research records
Plant: Rudbeckia laciniata
Record scope: Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.
Shropshire & Tallamy (2025) · Original research dataset · Reuse license: ODbL-1.0
| Plant names in the source | Source insect record IDs |
|---|---|
| Rudbeckia laciniata | 202913, 204722, 208154, 209283, 209976 |
How these records were selected
To reproduce this selection, use the “UDELep May 2025” worksheet in the original research dataset.
- Match the insect record IDs above to column A (UDLepID). Within each table row, pair every listed insect ID with every listed source plant name.
- Use the first two words in column H for the insect’s scientific name, column E for its common name, and column AB for its source category.
- Treat the selected pairs as reported caterpillar host records. Keep all other source fields unchanged and outside this selected table. Include no other rows or host pairs.
- Group butterflies and skippers together, and the other categories as moths. Retain the source’s exotic-category labels and sort display names by scientific insect name.
Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.
Additional community records: Murphy, Phillippe & Ebinger (2021), Spring Bay Fen flora and vegetation. Selected facts and taxonomic links; source spellings and historical survey dates retained.
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- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
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