Rudbeckia fulgida var speciosa

Plant of the Asteraceae family, native to eastern North America, here cultivated as an annual or biennial in flowerbeds. The infraspecific taxonomy of the fulgida group remains complex, and these plants are likely the result of horticultural selections, making precise identification uncertain.

It forms upright and very branched clumps, reaching 50 to 70 cm in height, covered with a remarkable density of flower heads throughout the beautiful season. The leaves are oval-lanceolate, dark green, slightly rough to the touch. The ligules are an intense and warm orange-yellow, arranged around a well-rounded dark brown cone — a contrast that, repeated on dozens of simultaneous flowers, gives the flowerbeds an almost unreal brightness in the height of summer.

In cultivation, flowering extends from July until the first frosts. Used as an annual in ornamental horticulture, it is sown or produced in nurseries for spring planting in sunny flowerbeds. It accepts most well-drained soils and is very resistant to summer heat, qualities that explain its frequent presence in public floral arrangements.