Minnesota Seasons - purple coneflowers (Echinacea spp.)

Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy

Overview

Echinacea is the genus of flowering plants that contains purple coneflowers and a single yellow coneflower. Some sources (iNaturalist) use the common name “coneflowers” for the genus. The preferred name “purple coneflower” distinguishes this genus from prairie coneflower (Ratibita) and coneflower (Rudbeckia). There are 10 species of Echinacea, all of them in North America east of the Rocky mountains. Only one species is native to Minnesota.

Photo by Alfredo Colon

While Echinacea angustifolia is the only native species of purple coneflower to Minnesota, Echinacea purpurea is often introduced to the state through seed mixes purchased from other regions where it is native. This practice is common among city, county, regional, and state parks, as well as prairie restoration projects. Additionally, several species, including E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, are grown as garden ornamentals. Many cultivars have been produced in a variety of colors.

Description

Purple coneflowers have erect stems up to 4′ tall, alternate leaves, and large, showy, composite flower heads. Most have unbranched stems; hairy, rough-textured, untoothed leaves; and large, showy flower heads with purple to pink or white corollas and spreading or drooping ray florets.


Distribution
		Sources 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.
10/10/2024


Taxonomy
Kingdom	Plantae (green algae and land plants)
Subkingdom	Viridiplantae (green plants)
Infrakingdom	Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)
Superdivision	Embryophyta (land plants)
Division	Tracheophyta (vascular plants)
Subdivision	Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)
Superorder	Asteranae
Order	Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)
Family	Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)
Subfamily	Asteroideae
Supertribe	Helianthodae
Tribe	Heliantheae (sunflowers and allies)
Subtribe	Zinniinae

Subordinate Taxa
eastern purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) sanguine purple coneflower (Echinacea sanguinea) smooth purple coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) Tennessee purple coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) Topeka purple coneflower (Echinacea atrorubens) wavyleaf purple coneflower (Echinacea simulata) yellow coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa)

Synonyms
Brauneria Helichroa

Common Names
coneflower purple coneflower


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Alfredo Colon 8/2/2019	Location: Woodbury, Minnesota


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purple coneflowers

Overview

Description

Distribution

Taxonomy

Subordinate Taxa

Synonyms

Common Names

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Greg Watson

Alfredo Colon

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