Purple Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
Echinaceae purpurea (L.) Moensch
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
▲ clump of mature, flowering plants
Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, Purple Coneflower: (Bayer Code: RUDPU; US Code: ECPU)
- Native simple perennial wildflower with fibrous roots that grows 10-36 inches tall; flowering stems are brown to greenish
- Plants first form a rosette of ovate leaves with petioles; leaves have toothed margins; leaves may have some stiff hairs; flowering stems have a few leaves on lower portion; stem leaves are usually smaller than basal leaves with shorter or no petioles
- Head inflorescences are 2-4 inches in diameter, with pink to purplish ray flowers (“petals") that tend to hang down from the center of the flower; the green to gold to purplish disk flowers form a golden conical mound in the center of the flowers; “mound" turns brown as it dries and disk flowers have sharp, spike-like projections
- Bracts below inflorescence in overlapping rows, linear to lanceolate
- Flowering is from late spring to early-fall
- Found in prairies, right-of-ways, open woods; tolerant of wetter soils than most other Echinacea; a good butterfly attractant; included in many wildflower seed mixtures