• Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower) native plant in bloom
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Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower)

Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower)

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Yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) has long yellow petals that droop below a raised gray-brown center. The flowers appear through summer above finely divided leaves. Tall, relatively open stems make the species useful among grasses in a prairie garden or meadow.

Full sun and average, well-drained soil are suitable. Established plants tolerate dry periods and a range of soil textures. Rich soil is not required; excessive fertility can produce taller growth that leans, especially where the stems lack support from surrounding vegetation.

The plant develops rhizomes and can form clumps, so a small group can gain additional stems over time. In a formal bed, place it behind shorter plants rather than expecting an edging plant. The flowers attract pollinators, and the central seed heads remain after the yellow petals fall. Leaving them standing retains that later-season form.

Plant specifications & ecological relationships

Key growing facts

Sunlight Full sun
Soil moisture Mesic
Height Up to 4 ft
Bloom season Early to late summer

Native landscape companions

For a sunny border with average, well-drained soil, pair yellow coneflower with these familiar native garden plants. Together they offer contrasting colors, varied textures, and interest from spring into fall.

Companion plant What it adds
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Up to 3½ ft 		Pink-purple summer flowers contrast with yellow coneflower while repeating its daisy shape.
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
2½–4 ft 		Lavender summer flower heads add a soft, rounded shape among the yellow daisies.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
About 3 ft 		Upright clusters of white flowers start the display in late spring, ahead of yellow coneflower’s main summer bloom.
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Foliage 1–2 ft; flowers about 3 ft 		Fine, arching foliage creates a lower layer beneath the flowers, with airy late-summer seed heads and golden fall color.

Group the taller flowers through the middle or back of the border. Place prairie dropseed in open groups toward the front, allowing room for mature flower clumps so the grass stays in sun.

Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
Growth habit Rhizomatous perennial often forming tight clumps
Root form Rhizomes
Soil pH 5.6–6.8
Cultivation hardiness zones Zones 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 8a, 8b (general cultivation guidance)
Drought tolerance Drought tolerance reported; degree is not quantified
Salt tolerance None

Plant identification & seed reference

Botanical name Ratibida pinnata
Other common names yellow coneflower; Drooping Coneflower; Gray-headed Coneflower; Grey-headed Coneflower; Pinnate Prairie Coneflower; Prairie Coneflower; Yellow Coneflower
Seed germination USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary.
Plant family Asteraceae
Seeds per pound — reference estimate 427500

Plant characteristics

Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower) is a perennial native flower. It has bright yellow flowers that can be great for certain pollinators.  The crushed seed head has a fruity or even fruit loops smell. Seems to work well in clayey and marginal soils and reproduces freely.

  • Flower Color Yellow
  • Flower Time July-September
    • Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates

    Illinois community record

    Dry-mesic sand prairie — historical record

    Recorded in 1976 at Short Pioneer Cemetery Prairie, a small sand-prairie remnant in Grundy County. This plant was not relocated during the 2005–2006 survey; its present status is unassessed.

    This is a whole-remnant record; the plant’s exact microsite and neighboring species were not established.

    Illinois plant communities

    Mesic black-soil prairie — central Illinois

    Recorded at Loda Cemetery Prairie (Iroquois County), Prospect Cemetery Prairie (Ford County), Weston Cemetery Prairie (McLean County). INHS identifies these sites as remnants of this community.

    Selected native plants from the same remnant records:

    These inventories include edges and disturbed patches. Shared remnant records do not establish that every plant grows together in one microsite.

    Other regional plant communities

    These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.

    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 — Corps Chicago 2017 table UPL
    C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 4
    Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 Yes
    Native range — U.S. states Alabama; Arkansas; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; New York; Ohio; Oklahoma; South Dakota; Tennessee; Vermont; Wisconsin
    County nativity Grundy County, Illinois — historical prairie-remnant record (1976); not relocated in the 2005–2006 survey. County coverage is partial.
    Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife

    Bees & other flower visitors

    USGS observations recorded the following insects visiting flowers of this plant in Minnesota, North Dakota. The records describe visits, without distinguishing pollen collection from nectar feeding or measuring successful pollination. They do not establish local occurrence, exclusive dependence, or a larval-host relationship.

    Bees

    • Andrena rudbeckiae — Minnesota; 2016.
    • Apis mellifera (honey bee) — Minnesota, North Dakota; 2015, 2016.
    • Bombus fervidus — Minnesota; 2016.
    • Bombus griseocollis — Minnesota; 2016, 2017.
    • Bombus sp. (genus only) — Minnesota; 2016.
    • Halictus ligatus — Minnesota; 2016.
    • Melissodes trinodis — Minnesota; 2016, 2017.
    • Svastra obliqua — Minnesota; 2016.

    Other flower visitors

    • Platycheirus sp. (genus only) — North Dakota; 2015.

    Other insect & wildlife relationships

    Caterpillars this plant can feed

    Silvery Checkerspot.

    • Flower visits: Bees are prominent flower visitors.
    • Seed: Goldfinches eat the seeds.

    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 Yellow Coneflower?
    Light: Full sun. Soil moisture: Mesic.

    How do I germinate and establish Yellow Coneflower from seed?
    USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary.

    Is Yellow Coneflower 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 Yellow Coneflower to bloom?
    Typical flowering period: Early to late summer. Timing varies with location and weather.

    Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes

    Landscape companion selection: These are garden-design suggestions for full sun and average, well-drained soil. All four companions are included in Illinois Extension’s Mesic Pollinator Garden: Sun. Growing conditions and ornamental features were checked against NC State Extension’s yellow coneflower profile, Purple Coneflower profile, Wild Bergamot profile, Foxglove Beardtongue profile, Prairie Dropseed profile. The color, texture, and placement suggestions are editorial planting-design judgments.

    Illinois communities & local records: INHS: Loda, Prospect and Weston prairie records.

    Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online.

    Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA Forest Service: Sporobolus heterolepis; Patrick Goggin: Wisconsin native plant guide, p. 75; USDA NRCS PLANTS; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.

    Wildlife records: USGS Pollinator Library.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Historical county and community record: Phillippe, Marcum, Busemeyer & Ebinger (2010), p. 8, reporting the 1976 inventory, with IDNR remnant-site context. The original 1976 survey was not examined. Remnant origin is inferred from the historical prairie record; modern seeded areas are not used as evidence. Later restoration history is documented separately. Only selected factual records are reused; no open license is claimed for the paper.

    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.

    Plant Shipping & Care

    We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.

    As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.

     

    Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories

    • Website orders: Seed, plugs and bare-root plants offered for shipping are shipped to your address. Shipping charges are calculated at checkout.
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    • Pickup locations and dates are confirmed by email. Please wait for confirmation before traveling to a pickup site. Our offices are not retail stores or nursery pickup locations.

     

    Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready

    We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.

    Wholesale Orders

    • Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.

     

    Retail & Website Orders

    • Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
    • Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
    • Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
    • If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months. 
    • Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
    • Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
    • If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready.  In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments 
    • Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability.  We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish.  If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date.  If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
    • Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
    • Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.

    Where We Ship

     

     

          What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery

          • Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
          • We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.

           

             Shipments

            • Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.

             

             

            What to Do With Your Plants After  Receiving Your Delivery

            • Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
            • Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
            • Water your plants
            • Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
            • If you cannot install your plants immediately
              • Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
              • Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
              • Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
              • No additional fertilizer is needed
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