FORAGED
Searching for Sochan Story and Photos by Ellen Zachos
Sochan, also known as cut-leaf coneflower.
Rudbeckia laciniata is known by many names. You may hear it called cut-leaf coneflower, tall coneflower, green-headed coneflower, golden glow, or sochan. Historically, sochan has been gathered by Cherokees and other Southeastern tribes, although the USDA shows it growing all over the United States. Despite the fact that this plant is both very common and very tasty, there is little in the foraging literature about eating sochan, outside of the Cherokee Nation. Sochan is native to New Mexico, and in the wild, you’ll find it growing along stream banks and in moist forests, in both sun and shade. I remember hiking through the Pecos in the summer of 2001 and seeing sochan poking up through the charred earth left behind by the Viveash fire. At the time, I admired the persistence of this perennial, but knew nothing about its edibility. Even many foragers are unaware of this native, edible plant, but once you’ve tasted it, you won’t forget it. 38
edible New Mexico | SPRING 2019
A member of the sunflower family, the deeply lobed leaves of Rudbeckia laciniata give it part of its botanical name. Laciniate means divided into deep, irregular segments, and the leaves of sochan are deeply and irregularly lobed. Leaves in the basal rosette are larger and more prominently lobed than the leaves produced along the flower stem as the plant matures. The flowers of sochan are similar to those of black-eyed Susan (an inedible Rudbeckia cousin), but with several differences. The petals of sochan droop downward, where black-eyed Susan petals are held horizontally, and the center of the flower is greenish brown rather than dark brown or black. It also grows much taller than the black-eyed Susan, reaching six to ten feet high. To the untrained eye, sochan can be difficult to identify when nothing but young leaves are visible. The flowers make it easier to identify, so keep your eyes open July through September. Then make
