Mexican hat, or plant of ratibida

On the garden plots and urban flower beds there are bright flowers of a peculiar form. They look like a tall Mexican hat with colored fields. What kind of plants are they and where did they come from to our flower beds? This ratibida is a column-shaped, which has come to our latitudes from North America.

A bit about the pioneer

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 Konstantin 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 lifetime of the scientist is 1783-1840.

Rafinez-Schmalz was the genius of his era, but many considered him a madman. While studying the vegetation of North America, he was able to describe at least 250 new species, but many of them scientist came up with very strange names. An example of this strangeness can be considered plant ratibida, which has a simpler name - a Mexican hat.

Acquaintance with the plant

Plant ratibida belongs to the family of astroves. The genus of Composita ratibids is quite small. There are only 7 plants that grow in North America. Man began to cultivate only 3 types:

• Ratibida colonial (Mexican hat);
• Ratibida pinnate;
• Ratibida mexican.

The word "column-shaped" in the first title is not quite the correct translation from Latin. It would be more correct to use "columnar".

In some classifications, the name of the genus Lepachys is used. The word has two Greek roots, which in translation means "scales" and "thick". The name reflects some features of the structure of the flower wrap. The fact is that the leaves of the wrap have a thickened part on top, covered with resinous glands.

Ratibida is a colonial, or Mexican hat, a branched perennial. Of a large number of sturdy and ribbed stems, whose height can be more than 1 meter, a sprawling bush is made up. To touch the plant in any part of it rough (glandular-hairy). The lower petiolate 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.

The structure of the flower

The flower of ratibida rises above the foliage. This is a basket with a diameter of about 6 cm. Female female lilacs adhere to the lower part of the convex disc, their shape is obovate, and the length is 2.5-3 cm. The tongue flowers are arranged in a single row. They are bent towards the stem. Color in different species is yellow, yellow-purple, maroon. Ratibida colonial is characterized by a dark color - maroon or brown with a bright yellow edging.

The disc near the flower is elongated, hemispherical. Initially, it is yellowish green, its length can be up to 5 cm, and the width - more than 1 cm. There are about 400 small tubular bisexual flowers on the disk. During flowering, the disc becomes taller, acquires a cylindrical shape and changes color to yellow-brown.

The fruits of ratibida are small light-brown achenes.

Similarities and differences with immediate relatives

Mexican hat, that is ratibida, closest to the two famous genera - Echinacea and Rudbeckia. Ratibida pinnatus is generally often confused with rudbeckie (photo above), because these flowers have petals in the form of yellow pointed tongues directed downwards. Petals grow around the protruding black-and-brown center. Explicit differences between the 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 drooping inflorescence made ratibidus so similar to a Mexican headdress. And what is the name of the Mexican hat? Sombrero. So do not be surprised if you see the seeds of ratibida with the name "Sombrero", it's not a mistake, just another reading of the name.

Distribution of ratibidae with a columnar

This kind of Mexican hats grows on vast territories. A bright flower can be found from Canada, and more specifically, the province of Ontario, to the southern borders of Mexico. The greatest concentration of plants in the Great Plains region, as ratibida prefers prairie and meadows. However, the plant can also feel good in mountainous areas - a bright flower occurs up to an altitude of 2000 m.

Ratibida (Mexican hat): cultivation

Many mistresses 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. Mexican hat - the name is very colorful, and gardeners think that the plant will cause a lot of trouble. But this is not so. Ratibida colony is unpretentious, only the decorativeness and splendor of the bush will depend on the quality of care, but the plant itself will not perish.

Planting ratibida is best on the sunbeds. The place should warm up well. The plant does not like shading. It is advisable to plant a North American beauty in limed soils with an acidity of about 7.5.

The place under the planting of ratibida is prepared from autumn. In the soil, add loose dolomite flour with an admixture of sand. The plant is suitable for poor soils, most importantly not clayey soils. However, fertilized soil guarantees a lush bloom. A Mexican hat does not require special care. It tolerates low temperatures and drought well. Watering ratibids spend to prolong flowering. To garden pests and various diseases of ratibida is stable.

The only problem is the fight against self-sowing. Mexican hat grows well, and if there is a chance to crush neighboring plants, unnecessary samosev need to be removed.