Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Distinguishing Characteristics

hairy leaves with parallel veins and long-tapering leaf base

Height

up to 3 feet

Blooms

May to August

Description

A stout-stemmed plant, it has coarse, bristly hairs on the stems and leaves. Pollen on the anther is white. The flower heads are single on long stalks. The

Comments

Found on glades, savannas and prairies, it does best in dry to average soils. It is common in wildflower seed mixes and is easy to establish from seed. It usually takes three years to bloom from seed. Dormant season plantings are most successful. It is a good nectar source for insects and is common in dry prairies of western Missouri. Its close relative, glade coneflower, (Echinacea simulata), grows on limestone glades in eastern Missouri and has yellow pollen.