Flower profile

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Native in the lower 48

Upright prairie coneflower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 10 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–October.

37states

10of our state lists

38,900U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming

Quick look

Ratibida columnifera, commonly known as upright prairie coneflower, rocketflower, Mexican hat, and longhead prairie coneflower, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the genus Ratibida in the family Asteraceae. It is native to much of North America and inhabits prairies, plains, roadsides, and disturbed areas.
From Wikipedia's article Ratibida columnifera, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 37 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–October. ^iNaturalist
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3.1 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 26,017 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #9 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,243 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #43 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,452 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #26 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

Upright prairie coneflower gift ideas

Handmade upright prairie coneflower gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,596 records)

Bloom time in each of our 10 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	March–October	26,017
Colorado	Native	June–September	3,243
New Mexico	Native	June–August	1,452
Oklahoma	Native	May–July	901
South Dakota	Native	June–August	770
Kansas	Native	few records	587
Nebraska	Native	June–September	551
Montana	Native	June–August	521
North Dakota	Native	June–September	508
Wyoming	Native	July–October	298

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Colorado.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Montana.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records upright prairie coneflower in 37 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Texas counties with USDA records: Andrews, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Cameron, Carson, Castro, Chambers, Childress, Coleman, Collingsworth, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, DeWitt, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Floyd, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Gray, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Harris, Hartley, Hays, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Hockley, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Karnes, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lamb, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Motley, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Reeves, Roberts, Robertson, San Jacinto, San Saba, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Starr, Stephens, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wheeler, Wichita, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Yoakum, Young, Zapata, Zavala.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Adams, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Cheyenne, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Montezuma, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Lea, Lincoln, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

More Texas flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: April–September

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms: August–October

Sunflowers

Helianthus

★ KS state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: June–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RACO3.
iNaturalist, Ratibida columnifera: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ratibida columnifera (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ratibida columnifera (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Center for Urban Ecology via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.