Rudbeckia laciniata

Cut-leaved Coneflower

• Average to moderately wet soils, will tolerate occasional dry spells
• Part shade, full sun, moderately deep shade (with fewer blooms)
• 4’ to 7’ tall, 2’ to 4’ wide, spreading
• Summer to Fall blooms
• Ontario Native, Thrives in Meadows and Woodlands, 
• Edible spring shoots and leaves

Growing quite tall where there is consistently available moisture, this member of the Black-Eyed-Susan family can make quite an impression in a garden or meadow setting, where their bright yellow blooms are generally present for a few weeks in the late summer.

In addition to feeding pollinators, their seed heads are consumed by finches and other small, seed feeding birds and their spring foliage is an edible green. They can form large colonies, especially when offered their preferred combination of dappled sunlight and consistently moist soil. In dryer settings I’ve found that they spread at a moderate rate and tend to remain shorter, closer to 4’ in height. 

Their edibility is described in this post by Indigenous Landscapes