Wildflower (forb) · Asteraceae

Pinnate prairie coneflower

Ratibida pinnata

Pinnate prairie coneflower is recorded as native to 23 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 590 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

Pinnate prairie coneflower at a glance

Native in: 590 counties, across 23 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b PLANTS minimum temperature −38°F
Mature height: 4 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Full sun (shade-intolerant) Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 3b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −38°F; zone 3b winters bottom out at −35°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 590 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 10 counties
Arkansas 20 counties
Florida 2 counties
Georgia 4 counties
Illinois 85 counties
Indiana 52 counties
Iowa 39 counties
Kansas 32 counties
Kentucky 41 counties
Louisiana 7 counties
Massachusetts 2 counties
Michigan 20 counties
Minnesota 38 counties
Mississippi 8 counties
Missouri 91 counties
Nebraska 11 counties
New York 1 county
Ohio 44 counties
Oklahoma 9 counties
South Dakota 8 counties
Tennessee 26 counties
Vermont 1 county
Wisconsin 39 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: 4 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Single Crown
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and 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: 18 to 60 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse and medium
pH range: 5.6 to 6.8
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Low
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 14 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −38°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 100
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Yellow
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Late Spring
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: RAPI

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 pinnata (PLANTS symbol RAPI).
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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