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Florida Gardening

I can't believe my eyes !!

16 years ago

I could not believe my eyes but as I was admiring the Four o'clocks by the brook, in all it's splendor a Rudbeckia.

Talk about being a native. Now that is a "weed" that is a keeper. Just a few days ago I was admiring some of yours and wanting some.

Hopefully I'll post a picture tomorrow .

The gnomes did it!

Felix

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Comments (8)

manature
16 years ago
The native rudbeckia triloba is a WONDERFUL plant, Felix. If you have one, you will have a few more next year. They usually take 2 years to bloom, but with new babies popping up beneath the parent plants, there are almost always some blooming. Congratulations on finding some. Mine ALL came from one small plant a friend found in his yard and gave me.

Marcia
countrynest
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Marcia,
Here is the photo can you tell me if it is a rudbeckia triloba?

Felix
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manature
16 years ago
Nope, not triloba, for sure. But I'm not certain what it actually IS, though.

Triloba has smaller flowers, with shorter, rounder petals. Can you get a photo of the leaves on this one? That might help some, too.

Marcia
manature
16 years ago
...could this be beach sunflower? Or dune sunflower? I'm not familiar enough with their blooms yet to know for sure, but I'm thinking the leaves look right, as best I can tell.

Anyone?

Marcia
the_musicman
16 years ago
It's not beach sunflower.
To me, it really looks like the Black Eyed Susans that I grew from seeds generically labeled as Rudbeckia hirta. It could be the native incarnation of that species.
manature
16 years ago
The Florida native incarnation of rudbeckia hirta is rudbeckia triloba, but it is definitely not that. Here is a close up of rudbeckia triloba...see how the flowers are rounder petaled and very small? They are only a bit over an inch wide. (Ignore the deformed ones in the center of the second photo...they are an aberration). Also, rudbeckia triloba and rudbeckia hirta both have large, coarse, hairy leaves. This looks like it has smallish, smoother leaves, if I'm picking out the correct ones from Felix's photo.

Here's a pic I found online for beach sunflower. I can't say for sure, but it still looks way more like this than it does like rudbeckia triloba. Anyone else want to weigh in here? We need some opinions...

Marcia
countrynest
Original Author
16 years ago
Marcia and all,I have been researching to see what plant I have. At "Daves Garden" I saw a "Rudbeckia fulgida". It seems to me that the shape of the petals,the eye and the leaves are identical. What do you think?

Felix
manature
16 years ago
That's possible, Felix. I have never grown that one, but there are definitely MANY types of rudbeckia with variations in flower size & form, so it could sure be one. I'll check fulgida, too, just for my own edification. (One can NEVER be too "edified," doncha know!) *grin*

Marcia

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