black-eyed Susan

noun

1. any of a number of composite plants having daisylike flowers with a dark center disk and usually yellow ray flowers, especially Rudbeckia hirta: the state flower of Maryland.

black-eyed Susan

noun

1. any of several North American plants of the genus Rudbeckia , esp R. hirta , having flower heads of orange-yellow rays and brown-black centres: family Asteraceae (composites)
2. a climbing plant, Thunbergia alata , native to tropical Africa but widely naturalized elsewhere, having yellow flowers with purple centres, grown as a greenhouse annual

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-eyed Susan¹

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

A cobblestone walkway surrounds the feature, its outer ring lined with black-eyed Susan flowers.

From Washington Times

The black-eyed Susan and other rudbeckias and various goldenrods can also be treated this way, Matt Bright says.

From Seattle Times

In Goose Creek and Molly Gulch, Colo., for example, a variety of wildflowers such as honeysuckle, bergamot and black-eyed Susan have emerged from the ashes of wildfires and are visible from April through early June.

From Washington Post

He’s also a big fan of the black-eyed Susan’s big brother, Rudbeckia maxima, a towering daisy that will take a range of soil conditions, including wetness.

From Washington Post

That dog must of wet every black-eyed Susan and every head of white Queen Anne’s lace we passed.

From Literature