Wildflower (forb) · Asteraceae

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Upright prairie coneflower is recorded as native to 22 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 691 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Upright prairie coneflower at a glance

Native in: 691 counties, across 22 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3a PLANTS minimum temperature −43°F
Mature height: 3.1 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Full sun (shade-intolerant) Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 3a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −43°F; zone 3a winters bottom out at −40°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 691 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Arizona 6 counties
Arkansas 13 counties
Colorado 29 counties
Illinois 10 counties
Indiana 3 counties
Iowa 16 counties
Kansas 105 counties
Louisiana 9 counties
Minnesota 29 counties
Missouri 12 counties
Montana 47 counties
Nebraska 74 counties
New Jersey 1 county
New Mexico 28 counties
North Dakota 49 counties
Oklahoma 44 counties
South Dakota 57 counties
Tennessee 1 county
Texas 139 counties
Utah 6 counties
Wisconsin 1 county
Wyoming 12 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 3.1 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Single Crown
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intolerant (full sun (shade-intolerant))
Moisture use: Medium water use
Drought tolerance: Medium
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: None
Precipitation range: 16 to 40 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse, medium and fine
pH range: 5.9 to 7
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Low
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 14 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −43°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 90
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Yellow
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Mid Summer
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Asteraceae
PLANTS symbol: RACO3

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Ratibida columnifera (PLANTS symbol RACO3).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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