Brown-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia triloba
Above: Brown-eyed Susan on banks of Retaining Pond in Madison, Wisconsin (7/29/20).
Brown-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia triloba
Brown-eyed Susan is a native flower that grows 2'-5' tall and becomes spreading and bushy (up to 4 feet wide) if not crowded by other plants. Brown-eyed Susan prefers full to partial sun; moderate moisture to wet; disturbed sites, woods, prairies.
Brown-eyed Susan usually has smaller flowerheads, more flowerheads per plant, and fewer ray flowers per flowerhead than Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).
The yellow flower heads are 1" to 2" wide and have 8-10 rays circling a button-shaped, jet-black center that fades to brown.
Blooms July - October.
Above: Brown-eyed Susan bracts surrounding the base of the flower.
Above: Brown-eyed Susan lower leaf. Rudbeckia triloba basal leaves are often trifoliate (three leaflets, sometimes each of the three also divided). (see line drawing)
For more information on the Brown-eyed Susan, visit Wikipedia.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Brown-eyed Susan.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin Master Gardener website page on Brown-eyed Susan.
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Above: Brown-eyed Susan on bike path near Commonwealth Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. (9/12/18)
Above: Brown-eyed Susan on bike path near Glenway in Madison, Wisconsin. (9/12/18)
Above: Brown-eyed Susan Plant on banks of Retaining Pond in Madison, Wisconsin. (7/27/19)
Above: Brown-eyed Susan plant on bank of Retaining Pond. (7/26/20)
Above: Brown-eyed Susan plant on bank of Retaining Pond. (7/24/19)
Above: Brown-eyed Susan specimen collected in Ayer's Woods in Village of Fontana in Walworth County on September 4, 1930.
Above: 1916 Brown-eyed Susan illustration.
Above: Brown-eyed Susan line drawing.
