coneflower

[ kohn-flou-er ]

noun

1. any of several composite plants of Rudbeckia, Echinacea, and other genera, having flowers usually with yellow rays and a brown or black disk.
2. any of various allied plants, as the prairie coneflower.

coneflower

/ ˈkəʊnˌflaʊə /

noun

1. any North American plant of the genera Rudbeckia, Ratibida, and Echinacea, which have rayed flowers with a conelike centre: family Asteraceae (composites) See also black-eyed Susan

Word History and Origins

Origin of coneflower¹

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; cone + flower

Example Sentences

Have fun with the placement — for example, coneflower petals can become a ballerina’s skirt.

From Seattle Times

One wild plant that is not well known as an edible, Rosenbaum said, is the tall coneflower — as in, up to 9 feet tall.

From Seattle Times

This fall, with the new law backing them up, the Crouches let their dead coneflowers, sunflowers and other perennials stand.

From New York Times

Jared Gorrell, a graduate student in Tennessee, withdrew his guess on a coneflower identification when John Michael Kelley, a maintenance worker at a state park in Louisiana and recognized expert on the genus, weighed in.

From New York Times

Left to stand in the garden over the winter, plants like coneflowers and sedums have sculptural seed heads that create visual interest in the off-season.

From Salon