Rudbeckia nitida Nutt.

Shiny Coneflower.

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Shiny Coneflower is a native perennial in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It grows in wet pinelands, swales, ditches, bayous. In Alabama in is currently known from a single county in south Alabama. Shiny Coneflower is a perennial from a short rhizome. Leaves are basal and cauline. Basal leaves are elliptic to lanceolate in outline, glabrous or sparsely hairy, with entire or crenate margins. The cauline leaves are petiolate or sessile, alternate, glabrous or sparsely hairy, with entire or toothed margins. The cauline leaves are reduced in size upwards. All leaves are thick and leathery and sometimes lightly glaucous. Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are solitary or in corymbs. Ray flowers are 8-15, and yellow in color. The disc flowers are maroon. The fruit is an achene. Shiny Coneflower is listed as an endangered species by the state of Florida, and as a species of conservation concern in the Flora of North America. There is no page for this species in the Alabama Plant Atlas at this time. The Alabama Plant Atlas arose out of the Flora of Alabama Checklist. The goal of the checklist committee was to create a document listing all species of vascular plants that occur or have been known to occur in Alabama. The major criterion for each species to be included on the list was the existence of a herbarium specimen to serve as a voucher for that species occurring in the state. During the development of the Checklist, Dr. Robert Kral of Vanderbilt University stated that he had collected this species in Monroe County. However, no herbarium specimen was located. This may be due to the specimen having not been mounted and filed in the herbarium at the time. A specimen was collected to document the Conecuh County population, and will be deposited in a state herbarium where it will serve as a voucher for this species. When that is completed, the species will “officially” become a part of the flora of Alabama.--A Diamond

After some debate about the presences or absence of this species in the Alabama flora, it was confirmed for the state in 2016 by Alvin Diamond based on his collection from Conecuh County.

Native

Diamond, A. R. 2016. New vascular plant county records from Alabama. Phytoneuron 2016-70: 1-6.