black-eyed Susan

noun

1. any of a number of composite plants having daisylike flowers with a dark center disk and usually yellow ray flowers, especially Rudbeckia hirta: the state flower of Maryland.

black-eyed Susan

noun

1. any of several North American plants of the genus Rudbeckia , esp R. hirta , having flower heads of orange-yellow rays and brown-black centres: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. a climbing plant, Thunbergia alata , native to tropical Africa but widely naturalized elsewhere, having yellow flowers with purple centres, grown as a greenhouse annual

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-eyed Susan¹

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

It is one of the region's largest oaks and a vital ecosystem for rare lichens like the black-eyed Susan.

Read more on BBC

A cobblestone walkway surrounds the feature, its outer ring lined with black-eyed Susan flowers.

Read more on Washington Times

The black-eyed Susan and other rudbeckias and various goldenrods can also be treated this way, Matt Bright says.

Read more on Seattle Times

In Goose Creek and Molly Gulch, Colo., for example, a variety of wildflowers such as honeysuckle, bergamot and black-eyed Susan have emerged from the ashes of wildfires and are visible from April through early June.

Read more on Washington Post

He’s also a big fan of the black-eyed Susan’s big brother, Rudbeckia maxima, a towering daisy that will take a range of soil conditions, including wetness.

Read more on Washington Post