Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera)

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun
Water Preferences:	Mesic Dry Mesic Dry
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone:	Zone 9b
Plant Height:	12 to 36 inches
Plant Spread:	18 to 24 inches
Leaves:	Fragrant
Flowers:	Showy
Flower Color:	Orange Red Yellow Bi-Color: yellow and orange
Bloom Size:	1"-2"
Flower Time:	Summer
Suitable Locations:	Xeriscapic
Uses:	Cut Flower
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees
Resistances:	Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds:	Suitable for wintersowing Can handle transplanting
Pollinators:	Various insects
Containers:	Needs excellent drainage in pots

Common names

Mexican Hat
Prairie Coneflower
Thimbleflower
Red Hats
Long-Head Coneflower

Photo Gallery

Location: 110'x12' native prairie creation E of my home
Date: 2020-06-09

Uploaded by Polka45

Location: Front pasture
Date: 2016-05-24
A strange hybrid.

Uploaded by GrammaChar

Location: Butterfield Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
Date: 2022-08-31

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Location: My yard in Arlington, Texas.
Date: Spring 2010
Close up of flower.

Uploaded by frostweed

Uploaded by bob

Uploaded by aikenforflowers

Location: South Jordan, Utah, United States
Date: 2021-07-17

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by molanic

Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2016-05-10

Uploaded by flaflwrgrl

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: 2024-06-25
Collage, Mexican Hat

Uploaded by dnrevel

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: 2024-06-20
Mexican Hat bloom

Uploaded by dnrevel

Uploaded by flaflwrgrl

Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2014-07-18

Uploaded by dirtdorphins

Location: Northern California, Zone 9b
Date: June 14, 2020
Closeup of Ratibida Columnifera - Mexican Hat with peculiar green

Uploaded by DebraZone9

Uploaded by Charlemagne

Uploaded by vic

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Kerrville, TX
Date: June 2004
Field of Mexican Hats

Uploaded by dave

Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2014-10-26

Uploaded by dirtdorphins

Location: Bogie Lake Greenhouse, White Lake, MI
Date: 2010-07-03

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-06-21
#Pollination

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2014-05-30
Wildflower of my youth in Texas.

Uploaded by HamiltonSquare

Location: FPF Home, Warren County, Kentucky
Date: 2022-06-11

Uploaded by FPF

Location: Central Texas
Date: 2016-05-14

Uploaded by Rocks2Blooms

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by ge1836

Uploaded by dave

Location: Bogie Lake Greenhouse, White Lake, MI
Date: 2016-07-15

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by DianeSeeds

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Uploaded by FPF

Location: Copperton, Utah, United States
Date: 2022-09-05

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Location: Copperton, Utah, United States
Date: 2017-06-25

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Location: Botanical Garden Utrecht
Date: 2017-09-30

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: 2024-06-09
Bud on red Mexican Hat plant.

Uploaded by dnrevel

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by Horntoad

Location: My garden, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; zone 3.
Date: 2012-12-09

Uploaded by growitall

Uploaded by DianeSeeds

Uploaded by wcgypsy

Location: Mercer Botanical Garden Houston, Tx
Date: 2014-05-19

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Hamilton Square Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2016-06-04
Zone 9b.

Uploaded by HamiltonSquare

Location: Goldthwaite, TX
Date: 2012-05-04

Uploaded by patrob

Uploaded by okus

Location: my garden; front bed
Date: 2014-05-23

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by admin

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-05-16
Wintersown earlier in the year

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: My Property Sunset Zone 23 Fallbrook California
Date: 2013-05-14

Uploaded by wcgypsy

Uploaded by Horntoad

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Medina Co., Texas
Date: May 20, 2012
Mexican Hat

Uploaded by LindaTX8

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by ge1836

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: June 2007
Ratibida

Uploaded by kqcrna

Uploaded by flaflwrgrl

Uploaded by flaflwrgrl

Location: Pappy Elkins Park.
Date: Summer 2010
Colors vary widely on this flower.

Uploaded by frostweed

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-03-16
Wintersown plants

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by SCButtercup

Photo Courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Used with permissi

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by robertduval14

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: My garden, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; zone 3.
Date: 2012-07-29

Uploaded by growitall

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by Natalie

Location: Taken at Paca Peace Ranch, outside of Westcliffe, Colorado
Date: 2012-08-03
Many color variations, from bright yellow, to this orange-and-yel

Uploaded by BookerC1

Location: At Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Manitou, Colorado
Date: 2012-08-03
Cylindrical seed heads. Self-seeds readily.

Uploaded by BookerC1

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-03-10
Took 6 days to germinate

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by flaflwrgrl

Uploaded by flaflwrgrl

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by SCButtercup (Simpsonville SC - Zone 7b) on Aug 27, 2014 4:55 AM concerning plant:

Definitely needs support in my garden. Use two or three 2-foot long sticks from spring tree prunings and set the sticks behind a clump. Then tie green twine loosely around the stems and sticks, The supports will be barely visible in a couple of days, and the plants can flower upright for all to see.

Reply to this comment
Posted by KFredenburg (Black Hills, SD - Zone 5a) on Jun 23, 2020 8:37 PM concerning plant:

Habitat: open, limestone soil, common along roadsides and on prairies. Range: on most of the Great Plains, along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains; west to Arizona; south to Mexico.

Reply to this comment
Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Dec 4, 2011 3:46 PM concerning plant:

Very easy to grow. In a home wildflower or perennial garden, it is a plant that will bloom freely over a long period, makes a good and interesting long-stemmed cut flower, and does well in hot, dry, poor soil. It is a perennial member of the Aster family, and close relatives include sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, shasta daisies, and purple coneflower.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on May 25, 2013 12:27 AM concerning plant:

"Ratibida columnifera, commonly known as Upright Prairie Coneflower or Mexican Hat, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae, that is native to much of North America. It inhabits prairies, plains, roadsides, and disturbed areas from southern Canada through most of the United States to northern Mexico."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R...

Reply to this comment
Posted by TexasPlumeria87 (Plano, TX - Zone 8a) on Mar 10, 2017 12:43 PM concerning plant:

This plant has been one of the toughest plants in my garden. It has a long blooming period, it tolerates heat and drought, and has a nice evergreen rosette in Winter. I'm planting it in various parts of my garden now, and I started some of the yellow flowered one this year.

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Plant Events from our members
piksihk	On April 28, 2015	Bloomed
lovesblooms	On March 13, 2020	Seeds germinated
lovesblooms	On February 16, 2020	Seeds sown winter sown
lovesblooms	On April 20, 2015	Seeds germinated
lovesblooms	On January 29, 2015	Seeds sown winter sown
got2b	On August 27, 2015	Bloomed
got2b	On July 21, 2015	Obtained plant
Flowerlover6	On October 19, 2022	Seeds sown
dnrevel	On June 17, 2024	Bloomed First blooms ripening
dnrevel	On June 10, 2024	Transplanted Into front herb and flower bed by peach tree. Some plants have buds on them.
dnrevel	On March 20, 2024	Transplanted Transplanted from green cell planter to larger pots to grow on. Added greensand to potting mix.
dnrevel	On February 18, 2024	Transplanted Up-potted, transplanted the tiny plants in the soil blocks into a green humid dome cell planter. We'll see how they do in the greenhouse in cool temps but with more sunshine.
dnrevel	On February 13, 2024	Seeds germinated Good germination! Most of the "red coneflower" seeds planted germinated in the soil blocks.
dnrevel	On January 25, 2024	Seeds sown Sowed 15 seeds in the smallest size soil blocks. Putting in the greenhouse to expose to temperature changes, then will switch to heat mats. Topped with vermiculite. Seed is listed as Coneflower Red. Seeds from Little Green Shop or Dollar Seed. Only lists as Red Coneflower. Turns out it is red Mexican Hat!

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Discussion Threads about this plant

Thread Title	Last Reply	Replies
Mexican Hat by petralittledog	Sep 29, 2011 1:46 PM	0

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Ratibida Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera)

Ratibida
Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera)