Scientific Name:
Echinacea purpurea
Pronunciation:
eck-ih-NAY-see-uh pur-PUR-ee-uh
Common Name:
purple coneflower
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Flowering cut plant, Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most blades lanceolate, 10-15cm long x 5-7cm wide, serrate with a strongly acute tip; inflorescence head with purple-pink ray florets angled downwards, surrounding cone of disk florets. Winter ID: head of black achenes 3-4cm wide.
Habit:
Spreading, Stiffly upright
Form:
Mounded, Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Attract butterflies, Cut flower or foliage, Dried flower or fruit, Fall interest, Group or mass planting, Herb, Perennial border, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google. See separate entry for the cultivars on campus which may include E. 'Gum Drop', E. 'Magnus', E. 'Mango Meadowbrite', E. 'Ruby Star', E. 'Secret Passion', and E. 'White Swan'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Tomentose, Glandular hairs
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Green
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Cuneate, Obtuse
Margins:
Dentate, Serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum), Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Orange, Yellow, Violet, Purple, Pink (Species has pink-purplish flowers, but ray florets of cultivars may be white, yellow, orange, etc.)
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Achene
Fruit Colour:
Brown, Black
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, Persistent
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Red
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Fungal leaf spot, Leaf miner insect (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- CLT Training
- HORT 1155
- Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (AGB) Acer Griseum Bed
- (BCW) Boulevard (Circular) Westend : q.6
- (BUG) BUG garden : cv. White Swan
- (GRB) GRass Bed
- (GRBE) GRass Bed East : cv. Magnus
- (PDE) PonD East : cvs. Secret Passion, Gum Drop
- (PDW) PonD West : cv. Gum Drop
- (SQC) SeQuoiadendron Courtyard
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden : cv. Mango Meadowbright