Purple coneflower is an herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae (daisy) family that is native to the central and eastern United States. The Genus name is Greek for meaning 'spiny one' and the species name means reddish-purple. It may grow 3 to 4 feet tall and produce pinkish-purple flowers that mature in early summer through mid-fall. This plant prefers well-drained, moist loam but is adaptable to various soil types. It is drought tolerant once established and can grow in full sun to partial shade. It is also deer, heat, humidity, and salt resistant. Easily propagated by seed, it will reseed itself in the garden. The attractive ray petals surround a center of dark purplish brown disc flowers in summer and are long-lasting. “Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . This is a popular and long-blooming plant for use as a border or in groupings in a native or pollinator garden, meadow, and naturalized areas. Many cultivars are available for varied sizes and colors. Several pollinators are attracted to the flower, especially butterflies. Leave some of the flower heads on to produce seeds for the birds. Quick ID Hints: Erect herb has terminal, brown-domed heads Ray flowers grow in 1 to 2 rows, often purplish, spreading-drooping Leaves are rough to touch Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Japanese beetles and leaf spot are occasional problems. It is susceptible to aster yellows disease (see photo of disease symptoms). Some cultivars have shown excellent resistance to phytophthora.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'echinacea-purpurea'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 71-attribute toolbox scrape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Cuneate; Elliptical; Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
3-8 inch long alternate, simple, dark green, scabrous leaves. The lower leaves are winged petiolate (with stems) and are ovate to broadly lanceolate, tip narrowly acute, broad cuneate base, and margins denticulate to coarsely toothed. The upper cauline (stem) leaves are reduced in size, narrower with a short petiolate to sessile (no stem) and nearly entire margins.
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Orange; Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Good Dried; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Flowers occur singly atop stiff stems and have domed, purplish-brown, spiny disc flowers in the center and drooping, lavender rays around them in daisy-like fashion. Blooms are up to 5 inches across. Many cultivars exist most commonly in shades of white, pink, and purple but also red, orange, and yellow. Flower blooms from June to August.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit value
Good Dried
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Seeds produced in the center cone are small, dark, 4 sided achenes that are attractive to birds.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
The light green stems have small purple streaks and scattered white hairs.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and central USA
Distribution
AL , AR , 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
Wildlife value
Its flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. This plant supports Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) larvae which has two broods from May-September. The adults feed on nectar from red clover, common milkweed, and dogbane. This plant also supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Songbirds, especially American goldfinches, eat the seeds. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators; Easy to Grow; Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Edibility
Herbaceous parts may be steeped as a tea
Uses (ethnobotany)
This was an important plant to the Native Americans to treat many ailments. Early settlers used the medicinal root for almost any kind of sickness. It became the only native prairie plant commonly used by both doctors and folk practitioners as medicine. People also used echinacea to support cows and horses when they weren't eating well.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Naturalized Area; Recreational Play Area; Woodland