Join / Renew / Gift Donate Shop Member Portal Language

Search
npsot_bluebonnet_full_color

Native Plant Society of Texas

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

Other common name(s):

Brown-eyed Susan

Family:

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

This map uses data from the US EPA. EPA  servers have been offline frequently so maps may not display. We are working on a solution.

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1
to
2
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Annual

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Clay, Dry, Loam, Moist, Rich, Sand, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland Edge

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Brown, Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Larval Host, Nectar, Pollen, Seeds

Wildlife Benefit

Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Nectar Insects

Maintenance

Easy to grow and very drought tolerant. Transplants will bloom the year they are planted. Plants grown from seed may not bloom until their second year. It can tolerate a wide range of soils, except for poorly-drained wet ones. Leave the seed heads for bird food and to seed out for next year. Provide supplemental watering in summer to prolong blooming. Tolerates the juglones chemical given off by Walnut trees that usually stops the growth of other plants. Native habitat: prairies, meadows, pastures, woodland edges.

Description

Blooms March-November. Depending on conditions can act as an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial. Upright form. The stems and leaves are covered with bristly hairs. Leaves are mostly basal, usually lance-shaped and sometime fiddle-shaped. Bright-yellow, daisy-like flowers with dark cone-shaped centers, occur singly at the end of stems. The fruit is a cypsela: a dry, one-seeded fruit, usually topped by pappus. Larval host: Bordered Patch and Gorgone Checkerspot butterflies.

References

Learn about how to propagate Texas native plants.

Material Treatment Method Collection References
Seed No Treatment Sow directly in soil in the spring or started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Sow the seeds on top of moist soil and cover lightly. Keep the soil moist and warm until the seed germinates, which take about 2-3 weeks. Once the seedlings have grown a few inches they can be transplanted to the garden. The nutlets turn charcoal-gray at maturity, usually 3-4 weeks after the bloom period. Seeds are mature at this time, but they are easier to collect after cones lose their tight compact stucture. 1) https://earthone.io/plant/rudbeckia%20hirta 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RUHI2 3) https://www.gardenia.net/guide/black-eyed-susan-plant-care-and-growing-guide
Seed Stratification Stratify for 3 months at 40 degrees. Sow in the spring. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RUHI2
Clump Division Division can be done in the spring or fall. Divide every 3-4 years to prevent overcrowding. Replant sections and water well. Dig up the clump and separate into small sections 1) https://www.gardenia.net/guide/black-eyed-susan-plant-care-and-growing-guide 2) https://earthone.io/plant/rudbeckia%20hirta
Stem Cutting Dip the cut end of the stem and dip in rooting hormone. Plant in a container fill with moist sand and peat moss. Keep the cutting moist and warm until roots form, which take 3-4 weeks. It can then be transplanted into the garden. Take stem cuttings in spring or early summer. Cut a stem section thatis 4-6 inches long and remove the lower leaves. https://www.gardenia.net/guide/black-eyed-susan-plant-care-and-growing-guide

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason