They are usually 3 lobed on the lower stem and single in the upper portion of the plant, although there is overlap. The leaves are rough to the touch with the underside of each being hairy (hence the term submentosa). The leaves appear alternately on petioles along the stem. The stems are light green and being covered with hairs, have a fuzzy appearance. S ingle stems branch many times to provide clusters of flowers Each upper stem terminates in a single flower. She usually has one main stem that branches multiple times toward the top of the plant. Sweet black-eyed Susan smells sweetest after the blooms fadeīloom Color- Rudbeckia submentosa has petals of bright sunshine yellow with dark chocolate centers.ĭescription- Sweet black-eyed Susan is usually about 4-5 ft tall. It’s a lovely reminder of the beautiful flowers which have given way to developing seeds. It’s not very noticeable on each flower, instead, when I walk past a stand of spent flowers or even seed pods, I catch the scent on any slight breeze. On Ozarkedge, I’ve found the scent is more apparent after the bloom. Sweet black-eyed Susan, the common name, comes from the black (really brown) center of the flower and the mild anise like scent. The word ‘submentosa’ means below (sub) and hairy (tosa). Years later,an impoverished Linnaeous came to Uppsala and was befriended by Olaf the Younger (now old) who was impressed with his studies. Linnaeus honored the relationship in 1753 by naming this beautiful genus for him. The son continued the work, traveling to Lapland on an important scientific expedition and after working for years on the related materials, his work was also destroyed in a fire. I cannot imagine how devastating this must have been and Olof the Elder died only a few months later. Most of this life long work burned, along with notes and other related items in the terrible fire of 1702- which destroyed most of Uppsala. In a nutshell, Olaf the Younger assisted his father with a monumental botanical work known as the Campus Elysii, a survey of all plants known at the time with thousands of woodcut illustrations. I found their story and connection with Linnaeus very interesting and I recommend you read about it. There he was responsible for anatomy, botany, zoology and pharmacology. His son, Olof Rudbeck the Younger was also a distinguished professor of medicine at Uppsala. He was a professor of medicine, an excellent musician, linguist and botanist He founded the Uppsala Botanic Garden. The father gained distinction in many fields, first becoming famous for discovering the lymphatic gland and the bodies circulation of lymphatic fluid. Latin Name/Common Name- The name Rudbeckia was given to the black-eyed Susan family by Linnaeus in order to commemorate a Swedish father and son, both named Olaus (Olof) Rudbeck. Either way, it is one of the most pleasing sites anyone could ask for and it never fails to cause me to smile or even laugh out loud with happiness at just seeing them again. The drought years bring fewer flowers but perhaps they are even more welcome then. They simply light up both sides of my trail with a profusion of tall sunshine yellow blooms that last until frost. Will they bloom as profusely as last year? Will they really be as spectacular as the first yearI found them? You see, although they have never failed to bloom, in years with ample rainfall their show is just stunning. I find myself edgy with anticipation every July as I walk or ride down my horse trail. I’m glad I don’t really have to choose a favorite, but, if I did, Rudbeckia submentosa would be in the running for top spot. If you’ve been following my website for a while (and if so, thank you!), you’ve probably noticed that I have a lot of ‘favorite’ native flowers.
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