Black-Eyed Susan

Maryland State Flower

FlowerMDBlack-eyedSusan.jpg

Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan; photo by Dendroica cerulea on Flickr (use permitted with attribution).

Official State Flower of Maryland

Maryland designated black-eyed Susan as the official state floral emblem in 1918. All State Flowers

Black-eyed Susans are common in Maryland fields and roadsides, and the black and gold colors match the state bird, state insect, and even the state cat

Black-eyed Susan Facts

The black-eyed Susan is a daisy-like wildflower with yellow petals and a dark brown center that grows in dry places. A member of the sunflower family and native to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, .

Black-eyed Susan plants reach 2 to 3 feet in height, blooming between May and August. The flower heads measure 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The scientific name for the black-eyed Susan is Rudbeckia hirta; "hirta" is Latin for "rough hairy" (as the prominent center of the flower is).

The root of the black-eyed Susan is used in traditional and folk remedies to treat colds.

Maryland

Images

Black-eyed Susans; the state flower of Maryland. Photo by PARSHOTAM LAL TANDON on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike).

Black-eyed Susans; the state flower of Maryland

Maryland state flag waving in Annapolis, Maryland; photo by Jimmy Emerson DVM on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works).

Maryland state flag

Black-eyed susan flower; photo © John Stenberg on Flickr (all rights reserved; used by permission).

Black-eyed susan