black-eyed Susan

1. Any of several North American herbs of the genus Rudbeckia in the composite family, especially R. hirta, having hairy stems and leaves and showy flower heads with orange-yellow rays and dark purple or brown centers.
2. A tropical African twining herb (Thunbergia alata) cultivated for its showy, usually yellow to orange tubular flowers with dark purple centers.

For more information on black-eyed Susan, visit Britannica.com.

The noun has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: tropical African climbing plant having yellow flowers with a dark purple center
  Synonyms: black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia alata

Meaning #2: annual weedy herb with ephemeral yellow purple-eyed flowers; Old World tropics; naturalized as a weed in North America
  Synonyms: flower-of-an-hour, flowers-of-an-hour, bladder ketmia, Hibiscus trionum

Meaning #3: the state flower of Maryland; of central and southeastern United States; having daisylike flowers with dark centers and yellow to orange rays
  Synonyms: Rudbeckia hirta, Rudbeckia serotina

Black-eyed Susan may refer to one of several things:

• Black-eyed Susan is the usual common name of a number of garden flowers:
  • Rudbeckia hirta, a member of the sunflower tribe of the large family Asteraceae
  • A number of other members of the genus Rudbeckia
  • The Black-eyed Susan, Hibiscus trionum in the family Malvaceae
  • The Black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia alata, in the family Acanthaceae
• Some members of the Australian plant genus Tetratheca (Tremandraceae)

• In music:
  • 'Black-eyed Susan' or 'All in the Downs' is an iconic song by John Gay (1685 - 1732)
  • "Blackeyed Susan" is the name of a song by the Triffids, written by David McComb from the album The Black Swan (1989)
  • 'The Blackeyed Susans' is the name of an Australian band, named after the Triffids song
  • "Black-eyed Susan" is a Morrissey song released as a B-Side to "Sunny" and later on My Early Burglary Years
  • "Black Eyed Susan" is a Paul Westerberg song from his album 14 Songs

• In theatre:
  • The name of an 1829 play, Black-Eyed Susan, by Douglas William Jerrold.

• Other
  • Black-Eyed Susan is also the name of a cocktail which is the official drink of the Preakness Stakes horse race.

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