Brown-eyed Susan, a member of the aster family, is native to the prairies of the Central and Eastern United States. It is often seen in old fields or along roadsides. It is also cultivated as an ornamental. The name ‘triloba’ comes from the dark green, somewhat hairy basal leaves that are divided into three oval parts.
Brown-eyed Susan growth to a height of 60 to 90 cm. Individual upper stems terminate in 1 to 2 flowerheads which are up to 5 cm across. They consist of 6 to 12 golden yellow ray florets that surround a brown to black flattened cone of numerous disk florets. The flowerheads have little or no scent.
The brown-eyed Susan is sometimes confused with the more common black-eyed Susan. The brown-eyed Susan is taller, flowers later and over a longer period and has smaller flowers.