Prairie Coneflower

mexicanhat

Also known as Mexican Hat, Ratibida columnifera is a Texas-native wildflower. It’s natural range in the United States includes central-eastern states, and has become naturalized in 36 out of the 48 contiguous states of the United States due to its aggressive proliferation method and indifference to more taxing environmental parameters (i.e. drought, soil type, etc.). It is a drought tolerant plant that withstands competition and has been known to push weaker, less-competitive plants out of an area. Mexican Hat is a fast growing wildflower that is not fussy about soils and is easy to grow from seed. Bees and other pollinators like this wildflower and its foliage gives off an odor that repels deer.

This plant’s medicinal uses include: tea from leaves and stalks used for stomach aches, tea from flower used for headaches, and boiled leaves and stems used to soothe snakebites and poison ivy rashes. iNaturalist post here.

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Source for Mexican hat info.

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