Page 56 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Coneflower (Cut-Leaf), Rudbeckia

laciniata (ASTERACEAE)

Joshua Mayer, CC-BY-SA-2.0

Σ64, CC-BY-SA-3.0

CUT-LEAF/TALL/GREEN-HEADED CONEFLOWER lobed leaflets. Drooping stem leaves decrease in size

or Sochan is an herbaceous perennial, native to along the length of the stem.
North America. It can be found growing in wet EDIBLE PARTS: leaves and young shoots (cooked)
soils in the partial shade of flood plains, thickets,
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Cut-leaf Coneflower is used
along stream banks, and in rich forests. Lanky
internally for indigestion and externally for burns.
plants have smooth, light green stems with droopy
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Basal leaves can be
leaves and can reach 10 ft. (3 m) tall. Clumping
harvested in the spring and fall. Spring leaves are ten-
plants with multiple upright stems, dark green
derer and mildly flavored than fall leaves. If you want
foliage, and yellow daisy-like flowers form colo-
to harvest in the fall, it is best to cut the flowering
nies through underground spreading rhizomes.
stalks in the summer, to encourage new young shoots
FLOWER: Yellow, daisy-like flowers bloom from July
to grow. Cook leaves and shoots.
to October in clusters on terminal ends of stems. Each
SAUTÉED CUT-LEAF CONEFLOWER SHOOTS: Chop
flower measures 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) across with a
shoots into bite-sized pieces and sauté in oil of
nubby cone and 6-12 yellow, oblong, drooping ray
your choice with chopped garlic. Top with coarsely
florets. Young, green flower buds are widely spaced
chopped, roasted walnuts. Season to taste.
giving domelike discs a pincushion-like look. As disc
florets bloom, the cones turn yellow. Seed heads are WARNING: Cut-Leaf Coneflower is toxic to cattle,
golden brown and mature as winter approaches. sheep, and pigs.

LEAF: Large, basal leaves to 12 inches (30 cm) long POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Tall Buttercup, Ranun-
and 12 inches across have narrowly winged petioles. culus acris and Cursed Buttercup, R. sceleratus
They are odd pinnate leaves with 3-7 roughly toothed,

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