Current River Conservation Area encompasses approximately 29,000 acres of forested ozark land.
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Scientific Name
Echinacea purpurea
Family
Asteraceae (daisies, sunflowers)
Description
The large, showy, rose-purple flower heads of purple coneflower make it a standout in open woodlands as well as in the home garden. The genus name, Echinacea, means “hedgehog” and refers to the flower’s spiny center cone.
Purple coneflower is a native perennial wildflower with large, daisy-like flowers with spreading, slightly drooping magenta “petals” (ray flowers). The stems are unbranched or with few to several ascending branches, with stiff hairs.
The basal leaves have long stems and grow to 6 inches long; they are coarsely toothed, oblong, and rounded at the base. The upper leaves are smaller, lance-shaped, and may or may not have stems.
The flowerheads are usually solitary, terminal (only at the stem tips), and quite large. The disk (center) is orange and spiny. The ray flowers range from pink to purple (rarely white) and are spreading to only somewhat drooping.
Blooms May through October.
The fruits are achenes (structurally similar to sunflower "seeds"), wedge-shaped, angled, slightly flattened, tan to nearly white.
Similar species: Five species of coneflowers (Echinacea) are recorded growing wild in Missouri.
- The two most similar, that you are most likely to see, are pale purple coneflower (E. pallida) and glade coneflower (E. simulata), which both have pinkish-purple ray flowers (in both of these, however, the petal-like rays are more slender and more drooping than those of purple coneflower).
- Yellow coneflower (E. paradoxa), with its yellow rays, is easy to identify by its different color.
- Narrow-leaved coneflower (E. angustifolia) is rare in Missouri and has only been recorded sporadically over the decades. It is a Great Plains species. In 2014, it was finally located in Missouri, in a native loess hill prairie in the northwest corner of the state. Its pinkish-purple flowers resemble glade and pale purple coneflowers, but the rays are only about half as long, and are more spreading, less drooping. The pollen is yellow. It is ranked as critically imperiled in Missouri.
Size
Height: to about 3 feet.
Where To Find
Scattered nearly throughout the state, though mostly absent from the Bootheel and northwestern Missouri.
Though this species is scattered in the wild, it is widely grown in cultivation.
Habitat and Conservation
Occurs in moist to dry upland woodlands, savannas, upland prairies, ledges and tops of bluffs, banks of streams, and rarely fens and sinkholes; also in pastures, old fields, railroads, and roadsides.
This species prefers moister soils than other species of coneflower.
This species is the one most likely to be encountered as an ornamental in cultivation, and a number of cultivars and hybrids are available commercially.
Status
Native Missouri wildflower. Popular native perennial plant for landscaping. Attracts pollinators.
Human Connections
In gardens, purple coneflowers are showy, long-blooming, hardy, and good for cut flowers. It is often used in roadside beautification projects. This species, along with various hybrids and cultivars, is commonly available at garden centers.
Native Americans used the roots of coneflowers to make medicines, and modern herbalists continue to use this extract, called Echinacea after the genus name, for treating the common cold and other ailments.
Many species of coneflowers have suffered in the wild due to indiscriminate, often illegal root-digging for the international herbal medicine market.
Ecosystem Connections
This species is a good nectar source for butterflies and bees.
In winter, goldfinches relish its seeds.
Its network of root fibers help to bind soils, protecting against erosion.
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Media Gallery
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Caption
Purple coneflower, a Missouri native.
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Purple coneflower is a perennial plant with large, daisy-like flowers with slightly drooping magenta “petals” (ray flowers). It blooms May through October. Flowerheads are usually solitary, terminal, and quite large. The disk (center) is orange and spiny. The ray flowers are various shades of magenta or rose-purple.
Credit
MDC staff
Right to Use
Photo by MDC staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
The large, showy, rose-purple flowerheads of purple coneflower make it a standout in open woodlands as well as in the home garden. The genus name, Echinacea, means “hedgehog” and refers to the flower’s spiny center cone.
Credit
MDC Staff
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Purple Coneflower video in the wild.
Credit
Kevin Muenks
Image
Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Butterflies like to sip nectar from purple coneflowers in gardens.
Credit
MDC
Right to Use
Photo by MDC, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
The large, showy, rose-purple flower heads of purple coneflower make it a standout in open woodlands as well as in the home garden. The genus name, Echinacea, means “hedgehog” and refers to the flower’s spiny center cone.
Credit
MDC Staff
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Similar Species
Similar Species
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Where to See Species
Danville Conservation Area is in Montgomery County, southeast of the community of Danville on Route RB.
Niawathe Prairie Conservation Area is located in Dade County, and covers 320 acres. A portion of this area has been designated as a Natural Area.
Horse Creek Prairie Conservation Area is in Dade County and covers 80 acres. The entire area is remnant prairie, with one brushy draw.
About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri
A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!