North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench

eastern purple coneflower

Synonym(s): Brauneria purpurea, Echinacea purpurea var. arkansana, Rudbeckia purpurea
Cultivar(s): Kim's Knee-High, Lucky Star

Image ID: 12451
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: ECPU
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Echinacea purpurea
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-02-11

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
1682	Kim's Knee-High	View
147	Lucky Star	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: ECHIN
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Echinacea
GENUS AUTHORITY: Moench
GENUS COMMON: Purple coneflower
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 4-9 species, herbs, endemic to e. and c. North America. There has been considerable medicinal use of extracts from many of the species, and collection of plants from the wild to meet the demand of the herbal trade has extirpated many populations, particularly in c. United States. Foster (1991) presents a lengthy and detailed discussion of medicinal uses of Echinacea, along with considerable information on the biology, conservation needs, taxonomy, and nomenclatural history of the genus. Binns, Baum, & Arnason (2002) provide no rationale for their approach of recognizing the same number of taxa as McGregor, but treating them as 4 species and 10 varieties; the entities seem to be distinct at the specific level.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Urbatsch, Neubig, and Cox in FNA (2006c); Baskin, Snyder, & Baskin (1993)=Z; Foster (1991)=Y; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Binns, Baum, and Arnason (2002)=X; McKeown (1999); Gaddy (1991); McGregor (1968).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial of open woodlands and roadsides, sometimes persistent or spread from cultivation.
STEMS: Stems green with purple-brown streaks, occasionally branching, hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves mostly basal, a few alternate on the stem (smaller), oval or lance-shaped with pointed tips, 2-10 in. long, toothed, rough-hairy on both surfaces.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) solitary at stem ends; to 4 in. wide; consisting of 8-21 dark pink to purple, somewhat drooping ray florets encircling the domed center disk composed of many maroon, tubular florets intermixed with orange-brown, spiny bracts.
FRUITS: Fruit an erect, cone-like head of seeds intermixed with spiny bracts.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1.5-4 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Mixed
BLOOM TIME: May-Oct

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Pink

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
		x						x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Dry forests, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern & central U.S.

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: A gardener’s favorite, eastern purple coneflower is an excellent choice for the sunny border or meadow garden. The showy flowers have pink petals around a central "cone". Drought-tolerant once established. All parts of this plant are regarded to have properties that stimulate the immune system. Butterflies flock to the flowers for their nectar and goldfinches eat the seeds with gusto. Eastern purple coneflower is a plant that will liven up your garden in many ways!

Bloom Table Text: Purple coneflower is a beautiful and undemanding plant bearing flowerheads composed of drooping, pink rays and dark purple disk flowers. Long grown in flower gardens, this perennial blooms faithfully from midsummer into the fall. The genus name comes from the Greek word, echinos, meaning “hedgehog”. They like neutral, moderately fertile soil and perform well during dry, hot weather. Through most of this century Echinacea has been the most widely used American medicinal plant, valued especially as a cold remedy. Recent research has confirmed its value as an immune system stimulant. Butterflies flock to the flowers for their nectar and goldfinches eat the seeds with gusto.

NCBG Location: Education Center Landscape, Native Perennial Border, Piedmont Habitat, Plant Families Garden

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Bird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
2738	1987-0223			View
3192	1990-0031			View
7520	2000-0280	2000-09-19		View
8863	2011-0027	2011-01-27	1874	View
8887	2011-0026	2011-01-27	1897	View
8954	1991-0257	0000-00-00	1498	View
9011	1995-0377	0000-00-00	1215	View
9370	2021-0033	2021-04-05	0	View
9410	2021-0072	2021-06-29		View
9515	2021-0152	2022-08-23	0	View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
1215	HORT	1992-01-01		View
1339	HORT	2006-11-01	Bryan	View
1498	HORT	1989-09-17		View
1744	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1874	HORT	2010-09-04	Gocke	View
1897	HORT	2010-09-04	Gocke	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
969	8863	44	NCBG staff	2011-05-10	View
4561	2738	8	NCBG staff	1978-10-01	View
5345	3192	81	NCBG staff	1989-10-01	View
5346	3192	98	NCBG staff	1989-10-01	View
5874	8954	79	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
7711	9011	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
10557	7520	93	NCBG staff	1999-01-01	View
10558	7520	142	NCBG staff	2000-01-01	View
10559	7520	115	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
12589	9370	228	Wait	2020-06-25	View
12590	9370	229	Wait	2020-06-25	View
12591	9370	232	Wait	2020-06-25	View
12592	9370	233	Wait	2020-06-25	View
12723	9410	146	Wenck	2021-05-03	View
13163	0	198	NCBG staff	2022-05-20	View
13207	9515	38	Wait	2021-11-23	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: ECPU
USDA Common Name: Eastern Purple Coneflower
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV), CAN (ON)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP ID	S RANK	ROUNDED S RANK	G RANK	ROUNDED G RANK	STATE STATUS	FEDERAL STATUS
19559	S1	S1	G4	G4	SC-V

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Echinacea purpurea
COMMON NAME: Eastern Purple Coneflower
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, Il, K, Pa, RAB, SE, W, WH3, X, Y; = E. purpurea var. purpurea - G]
PHENOLOGY:
HABITAT: Open woodlands, roadsides, some of the occurrences persistent or spread from cultivation.
COMMENTS: OH, WI, and IA south to FL and TX; introduced more broadly as in ne. United States and ON, the exact limits of the native distribution unclear.
RANGE MAP: Echinacea purpurea.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Echinacea Moench (Purple coneflower)
SUMMARY: A genus of 4-9 species, herbs, endemic to e. and c. North America. There has been considerable medicinal use of extracts from many of the species, and collection of plants from the wild to meet the demand of the herbal trade has extirpated many populations, particularly in c. United States. Foster (1991) presents a lengthy and detailed discussion of medicinal uses of Echinacea, along with considerable information on the biology, conservation needs, taxonomy, and nomenclatural history of the genus. Binns, Baum, & Arnason (2002) provide no rationale for their approach of recognizing the same number of taxa as McGregor, but treating them as 4 species and 10 varieties; the entities seem to be distinct at the specific level.
REFERENCE: Urbatsch, Neubig, and Cox in FNA (2006c); Baskin, Snyder, & Baskin (1993)=Z; Foster (1991)=Y; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Binns, Baum, and Arnason (2002)=X; McKeown (1999); Gaddy (1991); McGregor (1968).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Echinacea purpurea in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Echinacea purpurea in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Echinacea purpurea in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Echinacea purpurea in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Echinacea purpurea in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Echinacea purpurea

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12451 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 12453 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 93330 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)