On household plots and city flower beds, bright flowers of a peculiar form are found. They look like a tall Mexican hat with colored brim. What kind of plants are these and where did they come to our flower beds? This is a colony-shaped ratibida, which came to our latitudes from North America.
A little bit about the discoverer
The first description of the flower was made by an American naturalist. The name of this person is not easy to remember. His name was Constantin Samuel Rafinesk-Schmalz. This scientist was engaged not only in zoology and botany, but was a specialist in the field of meteorology and anthropology. He was also a geologist and linguist. The life of a scientist 1783-1840.
Rafinesk-Schmalz was a genius of his era, but many considered the scientist crazy. While studying the vegetation of North America, he happened to describe at least 250 new species, but for many of them the scientist came up with very strange names. An example of this oddity is the ratibid plant, which has a simpler name - the Mexican hat.
Acquaintance with the plant
The plant of ratibid belongs to the family of asters. The genus of Asteraceae ratibids is very small. It has only 7 plants that grow in North America. Man began to cultivate only 3 species:
- Colony-shaped ratibida (Mexican hat);
- Cirrus ratibida;
- Mexican ratibida.
The word "columnar" in the first name is not quite a correct translation from Latin. It would be more correct "columnar".
Some classifications use the name of the genus Lepachys. The word has two Greek roots, which in translation means “scales” and “thick”. The name reflects some structural features of the flower wrapper. The fact is that the leaves of the wrapper have on top a thickened part covered with resinous glands.
The ratibida is a columnar, or Mexican hat, is a branched perennial. From a large number of strong and ribbed stems, the height of which can be more than 1 meter, a sprawling bush is made up. To the touch, the plant in any of its parts is rough (glandular-hairy). The lower petiole leaves of the bush have a grayish-green color, their length is 15-16 cm. The width of the leaves is about 6 cm. The structure of the leaves is pinnate or twice pinnate. Each sheet can have up to 14 narrow segments.
Flower structure
The flower of the ratibida rises above the foliage. This is a basket with a diameter of about 6 cm. Female reed flowers are adjacent to the lower part of the convex disk, their shape is obovate, and their length is 2.5-3 cm. Reed flowers are arranged in one row. They are bent towards the stem. The color of different species is yellow, yellow-purple, maroon. The colony-shaped ratibida is characterized by a dark color - burgundy or brown with a bright yellow border.
The disk of the flower is elongated, hemispherical. Initially, it is yellowish-green, its length can be up to 5 cm, and its width is more than 1 cm. About 400 small tubular bisexual flowers are located on the disk. During flowering, the disk becomes higher, acquires a cylindrical shape and changes color to tan.
The fruits of the ratibida are small light brown achenes.
Similarities and differences with immediate family
The Mexican hat, that is, the ratibida, is closest to the two famous genera - Echinacea and Rudbeckia. Cirrus ratibida is often confused with rudbeckia (photo above), since these flowers have petals in the form of yellow pointed reeds directed downward. Petals grow around a prominent black-brown center. Obvious differences between species in the structure of the petals of the wrapper, and also in the elongated inner disk. Actually, the combination of an elongated disk and a lowered inflorescence made the ratibida so similar to a Mexican headdress. What is the name of the Mexican hat? Sombrero. So do not be surprised if you see the seeds of the ratibida with the name "Sombrero", this is not a mistake, just another reading of the name.
Colony-shaped ratibida distribution
This type of Mexican hat grows in vast territories. A bright flower can be found from Canada, and more specifically, the province of Ontario, to the southern borders of Mexico. The highest concentration of plants in the Great Plains region, since the ratibida prefers prairies and meadows. However, the plant can feel good in the mountainous areas - a bright flower is found up to a height of 2000 m.
Ratibida (Mexican hat): growing
Many housewives would like to decorate their flower beds with an unusual flower. They have a huge choice. Ratibida has been cultivated for several centuries, since about 1811. But for us this plant is still exotic. The Mexican hat is a very colorful name, and gardeners think that the plant will cause a lot of trouble. But this is not so. The ratibida is columnar unpretentious, only the decorativeness and splendor of the bush will depend on the quality of care, but the plant itself will not die.
It is best to plant a ratibida on the beds of the sunny side. The place should warm up well. This plant does not like shading. It is advisable to plant a North American beauty in calcareous soils with an acidity of about 7.5.
The ratibida landing site is being prepared since the fall. Loose dolomite flour with an admixture of sand is introduced into the soil. Poor soils are suitable for the plant, the main thing is not clay. However, fertilized soil guarantees lush flowering. The Mexican hat does not require special care. It tolerates low temperatures and drought. Watering the ratibids is carried out to prolong flowering. To garden pests and various diseases, the ratibide is resistant.
The only problem is the fight against self-seeding. The Mexican hat grows well, and if there is a chance to crush neighboring plants, excess self-seeding must be removed.