Rudbeckia laciniata L.

Locations ofRudbeckia laciniata L. in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Asteraceae
Botanical Name
Rudbeckia laciniata L.
Common Name
Cut-leaf Coneflower, Common Cut-leaf Coneflower, Green-headed Coneflower
Synonym(s)
Rudbeckia laciniata L. var. laciniata; Rudbeckia laciniata L. var. digitata (Mill.) Fiori
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Rudbeckia laciniata L. var. laciniata + Rudbeckia laciniata L. var. digitata (Mill.) Fiori
Comments
The map is a species-level composite that contains records for two or three infraspecific taxa: the northern var. laciniata; and the more southern var. digitata (Mill.) Fiori, allegedly of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, and var. humilis Gray, allegedly endemic to the higher Southern Appalachians. Whether the latter two vars. are distinct is unclear; they are very difficult to tell apart in Virginia, and Urbatsch and Cox combine them in FNA21. Adding to the confusion, it is unclear which name Urbatsch and Cox give priority to, as one name is used in the key (digitalis) and the other in the description (humilis). Either way, plants resembling the holotype of R. laciniata var. humilis (collected in the Virginia Piedmont) are widespread in the southern half of the state, and are at least partly sympatric with var. laciniata. Pending further study of Virginia herbarium material and the taxonomic issues, we have followed Flora of Virginia and provided varietal maps for var. laciniata and var. digitata (including var. humilis); these are very incomplete since most herbarium specimens are not identified to variety. Also mapped separately is var. bipinnata Perdue, which is a very distinctive taxon morphologically and ecologically.
Habitat
Floodplain forests, alluvial swamps, seepage swamps, tidal swamps, riverbanks and bars, wet meadows, clearings, and roadsides; also in rich, mesic upland forests, especially in the mountains. The disposition of infraspecific taxa in this species is unclear at present, and most Virginia specimens of Rudbeckia laciniata have not yet been determined to variety. Further study is needed (see Comments).
Native Status
Native

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