General:
Biennial to short-lived perennial herb from a thick, woody stem-base; stems erect, solitary to several, simple or few-branched above, rough-hairy, 30-100 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves soon deciduous; stem leaves alternate, oblanceolate to elliptic, entire to toothed, 3-15 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, long-stalked near the bases, becoming unstalked, lanceolate to egg-shaped and reduced upwards.

Flowers:
Heads with ray and disk flowers, solitary at the ends of branches; disks hemispheric or egg-shaped, dark purple or brown, 10-20 mm wide; involucral bracts 6-10 mm, lanceolate, reflexed when mature, long-hairy; ray flowers orange, 8-20, darker at the tips, reflexed, 2-4 cm long; disk flowers purple or brown; receptacular bracts abruptly sharp-pointed, hairy near the tip.

Fruits:
Achenes oblong, glabrous, 1.8-2 mm long; pappus lacking.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Rudbeckia bicolor Nutt.
Rudbeckia hirta var. corymbifera Fern.
Rudbeckia hirta var. lanceolata (Bisch.) Core
Rudbeckia hirta var. sericea (T.V. Moore) Fern.
Rudbeckia hirta var. serotina (Nutt.) Core
Rudbeckia longipes T.V. Moore
Rudbeckia sericea T.V. Moore
Rudbeckia serotina Nutt.
Rudbeckia serotina var. corymbifera (Fern.) Fern. & Schub.
Rudbeckia serotina var. lanceolata (Bisch.) Fern. & Schub.
Rudbeckia serotina var. sericea (T.V. Moore) Fern. & Schub.