Ratibida columnifera

Upright prairie coneflower

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Upright prairie coneflower is a naturalized perennial found in the Peninsular Ranges and Mojave Plains in dry, rocky slopes, upland valleys, and open pine forest at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 7 to 30 millimeters long with 4 to 12 rays, surrounding a distinctive cylindric brown disk. Growing with erect stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall that are finely strigose (covered in short, stiff hairs), it forms an upright, branching habit. Its leaves are divided into linear to narrow elliptic lobes, with strigose leaf surfaces that give the plant a textured appearance. The flower heads are solitary at stem tips and in upper leaf axils, creating a distinctive prairie-like silhouette.

Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes, upland valleys, open pine forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: < 1600 m

Bioregions: PR, MP

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.