About Rudbeckia occidentalis Nutt.
Rudbeckia occidentalis Nutt. is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, commonly known as western coneflower. This species is native to the northwestern United States, where its range extends from Washington to northern California, and eastward to Wyoming and Montana. It grows in moist habitat types, including meadows. It is an erect perennial herb that grows from a thick rhizome, with a mostly unbranched stem that reaches a maximum height of nearly two meters. Its large leaves are generally oval-shaped with pointed tips, have light to deep teeth along their edges, and can grow up to 30 centimeters long. The inflorescence consists of one or more flower heads with purplish bases that can be up to 6 centimeters wide. Western coneflower flower heads have no ray florets, only a set of reflexed phyllaries surrounding a purple-brown central disk packed with disc florets. As its fruits develop, this central structure containing the receptacles lengthens to several centimeters. The fruits are achenes, each a few millimeters long, and some are tipped with pappi made of tiny scales.
