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Pale Purple Coneflower

Echinacea pallida
Family: 
Asteraceae (daisies)
Description: 

Showy perennial with a mostly unbranching stem arising from basal leaves, with a single, sunflower-like flower head. Disk knoblike, brown, with white stamens protruding; ray flowers pale purple, rose or magenta (rarely white), slender and drooping, to 3½ inches long, the ends notched. Pollen white. Blooms May–July. Basal leaves in a clump, strap-shaped, up to 13 inches long including the long stalks; stem leaves shorter and narrow. Stems and leaves with stiff, spreading hairs. Fruits in a burrlike, dome-shaped head that blackens upon drying.

Similar species: Glade coneflower (E. simulata) has yellow, not white pollen; it occurs mainly in the eastern Ozarks.

Size: 
Height: to 3 feet.
Habitat and conservation: 
Occurs in prairies, glades, savannas, openings of dry upland forests, pastures, roadsides and railroads. Along with other flowers in the genus Echinacea, this plant is often targeted by unscrupulous "root collectors" who sell them to manufacturers of herbal medicines. Such vandalism is one reason laws were enacted restricting the collecting of plants from Missouri's public highways.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Scattered statewide, although apparently absent from the Mississippi Lowlands; in the eastern Ozarks, glade coneflower (Echinacea simulata) tends to predominate.
Human connections: 
Though scientists debate its efficacy, this and other echinaceas are used for medicinal purposes and are threatened by root diggers. Laws restricting collection have been enacted to protect wild populations. Coneflowers are easily grown in gardens and are available at native plant nurseries.
Ecosystem connections: 
The seeds of coneflowers are eaten by goldfinches, whose late-summer breeding time corresponds with the abundant seed set of these and other sunflower-family flowers such as goldenrods, ironweed and others. The tough rootstocks of coneflowers prevent erosion.

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