Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Size: 1g availability

Flower
Max size: 5’ tall x 3’ wide
Average size: 4′ tall x 3′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry
Clay, Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade
Low tolerance to salt wind, but not to salt spray

AKA: Eastern Purple Coneflower, Purple Rudbeckia, Sampson Root

The foliage is semi-evergreen; it typically dies back in winter but can sometimes persist year-round in tropical micro-climates. The flowers are iconic, blooming in shades of purple-to-pink in late spring through early fall. They need a reliable cold period to persist. Great as a mass planting in wildflower/butterfly gardens.

The flowers are highly attractive to a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, moths, and more. The hollow stems are perfect for many native bee species; we recommend cutting back dead stems to 12-24 inches and allowing them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. The late summer-fall seeds feed small bird and mammal species including but not limited to goldfinches, chickadees, and sparrows. (1) It’s deer tolerant.

It makes a good cut flower, lasting 3-7 days in water. It also does well dried and pressed, but must be cut in half to maintain its true shape.

The Choctaw chew the root and swallow the saliva but not the root itself, to alleviate coughing. Modern uses include drinking Echinacea tea for coughs. Delaware historically would combine its root with Rhys typhina, Staghorn Sumac, root to treat venereal diseases. Modern medical research shows that the roots have antiviral, bacterial, insecticidal, and immunostimulant properties, and regularly drinking the tea can improve overall general health. (2) (3)