Description: Yellow to red-brown flowers with tall, central cones.
Growth Habit: Upright, clump-forming perennial. 3ft height
Sun/Shade: Full sun.
Water Needs: Low; drought-tolerant.
Soil Preferences: Well-drained, sandy or loamy soil.
Benefits: Attracts pollinators and adds prairie charm. Great for prairie restorations.
 
From MN Wildflowers:
Prairie Coneflower is a smaller plant than most other yellow flowered coneflowers. Its cone is rather long compared to others, with the rays usually about as long as the cone where other coneflowers in Minnesota have rays much longer than their cone. While rays are typically yellow, there is also a variety or form pulcherrima that has dark red rays with yellow edges, commonly called Mexican Hat, that is readily available in the nursery trade. It is occasionally found naturally occurring in the wild but may also escape cultivation.
 
From Prairie Moon Nursery:
Long-headed Coneflower has a deep central taproot making it very drought-tolerant, but it is susceptible to common mammal herbivory.  The species name columnifera means 'in the shape of a column' which of course describes the most distinguising feature, the tall central cone. Typcially, the 4 to 12 yellow petals that hang downward from the cone are not as long as the cone itself. This part of the flower is sterile.  It's the hundreds of disk florets on the cone that will develop into seeds; the plant self-seeds well.  Ratibida pinnata, Yellow Coneflower (also commonly called Gray-headed Coneflower), is much taller than the average 2-3 feet of Long-headed Coneflower. Other names in use include Upright Prairie Coneflower and Mexican Hat.