Black-eyed Susan is an erect herbaceous perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and native to the eastern United States. The species epithet means "shining," referring to the glossy yellow ray florets. Black-eyed Susan is easy to grow, thriving in any but soggy soils. It does best in full sun but tolerates partial shade. It also bears up under hot, humid summers and, once established, will tolerate drought. The plant spreads by underground stems called rhizomes to form large clumps. Propagation can be done by division in the spring or fall, or it can be propagated by seed. With prolific, yellow, daisy-like flowers that have a brownish-purple center, this plant first matures in early summer, continues into the fall and may quickly reach 2 to 3 feet tall. A rosette of leaves that originate at the base of the stem persists through the winter, creating an attractive winter ground cover. Leave the seed heads on as a winter food source for the birds. It is utilized for perennial beds, borders and naturalized areas, and may be included in pollinator, butterfly, cottage, native or rain gardens. Staking may be required for large heads. Plants of this species sold in garden centers are usually named cultivars, rather than the wild-type species. This plant was selected as the 1988 NC Wildflower of the Year , a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina. This is one of the 20 key pollinator plants that should be blooming in August for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census 2025. Quick ID Hints: Erect herbs with basal rosette green leaves. Heads with brown-black, flattened domes. Ray flowers in a single row, yellow or orange. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. More information on Rudbeckia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Ovate to oval to ovate lanceolate, basal rosette leaves to 5 inches long and half as wide. Lower leaves are toothed with prominent veins. Covered with bristly hairs when young. They are petiolate. Cauline leaves are elliptic to lanceolate, acute, cuneate, and short-petiole to sessile.
Flower color
Black; Gold/Yellow; Orange
Flower value
Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Ten to twenty brilliant yellow-orange ray florets (1 to 3 inches wide) surrounding a purple-brown central disk. They aprear to droop apically and are in one series. Disc flowers are obscure and yellowish. Inflorescence is a terminal head with a flattened dome receptacle that is brownish-black in color. Flowers bloom from August to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
The stem is branched with bristly hairs.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern United States
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV
Wildlife value
This plant provides nectar for pollinators. It is a larval host plant to Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) and to Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) which has one brood in the north and two broods from May-September in the rest of its range. Songbirds, especially American goldfinches, eat the seeds in the fall.