Official State Flowers of the United States

Rudbeckia hirta - Black Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta – Black Eyed Susan

State Flower of Maryland – The Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) has been the official Maryland flower since 1918 when it was designated the “Floral Emblem” of Maryland by the General Assembly.

Black-Eyed Susans are perennial daisies or coneflowers, members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The flower heads measure 2 to 3 inches in diameter with yellow rays circling a dark-brown, spherical center. However, extensive breeding has produced a range of sizes and colours, including oranges, reds and browns. Commonly found in fields and on roadsides, they bloom between May and August, reaching 2 to 3 feet in height. They are native to the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains and Central North America and naturalized in the Western part of the continent as well as in China. It has now been found in all 10 Canadian Provinces and all 48 of the states in the contiguous United States.