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Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Echinacea

Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

34BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Echinacea

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

12Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Echinacea

Andrena rudbeckiae
Megachile inimica
Megachile parallela
Megachile pugnata
Megachile xylocopoides
Melissodes coreopsis
Melissodes desponsus
Melissodes subagilis
Melissodes subillatus
Melissodes trinodis

Show all 12

Paranthidium jugatorium
Protandrena albitarsis

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

1AntsRecorded seed interactions

Solenopsis invicta

Solenopsis invicta: Seed predation.

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH: Neutral
Flower color: Purple
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Single stem
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

Flowering timing. Species profile reports June–August; timing varies with location and year. Source

Flower color. Lavender rays surround a purplish-brown disk. The source’s other color categories include cultivars; cultivar traits are not assigned to the species. Source

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Leave some seed heads for birds and retain standing hollow stems for nesting bees. Watch for aster yellows. NC State Extension

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to August” · NC State Extension · reviewed species facts
Flower color · “Purple” · NC State Extension · reviewed species facts
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “purple” · NC State Extension species profile; existing gardener field review
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Recognizing it

Rough, alternate leaves and drooping rays around a domed, brown-purple center. Identification source

Also known as

Eastern Purple Coneflower

Conservation status

Kentucky rank	S4
Global rank	G5
KY status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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