View source for Echinacea purpurea

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Asteraceae
|genus=Echinacea
|species=purpurea
|Max ht box=1.2
|Max ht metric=m
|height_ref=Plants for a Future
|Max wd box=.5
|Max wd metric=m
|width_ref=Plants for a Future
|origin=Michigan to Georgia
|lifespan=perennial
|life_ref=Wikipedia
|exposure=sun, part-sun
|sun_ref=Plants for a Future
|water=moist, moderate, dry
|water_ref=Plants for a Future
|features=flowers, drought tolerant, fire resistant
|flower_season=mid summer, late summer
|flower_ref=Plants for a Future
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=3
|usda_ref=Plants for a future
|max_zone=on
|image=Echinacea purpurea 001.JPG
|image_width=240
}}
'''''Echinacea purpurea''''' ('''Eastern purple coneflower''' or '''Purple coneflower''') is a species of [[flowering plant]] in the genus [[Echinacea]].<ref name="Plants for a future">http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Echinacea+purpurea</ref>  Its cone-shaped flowering heads are usually, but not always purple.<ref name=Zimmerman> [http://www.brucezimmerman.com/ARTICLES/ECHINACEA.htm  Bruce Zimmerman. Echinacea: Not always a purple coneflower.]</ref> It is native to eastern [[North America]]<ref name="Plants for a future"/> and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwest United States.<ref name="PLANTS">http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECPU</ref> It is also grown as an [[ornamental plant]], and numerous [[cultivar]]s have been developed for flower quality and plant form.<ref name=Zimmerman/>

This [[Perennial plant|perennial]] flowering plant is 1.2 m tall and 0.5 m wide at maturity. Depending on the climate, it begins to bloom in late May or early July. Its individual flowers (florets) within the flower head are [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]], having both male and female organs on each flower. It is [[Pollination|pollinated]] by butterflies and bees. Its [[habitat]]s include dry open woods, prairies and barrens, as well as cultivated beds. {{wp}}

It is hardy to zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.{{pfaf}}

{{Inc|
Echinacea purpurea, Moench. (Brauneria purpurea, Brit.). Commonly not hairy, typically taller than E. angustifolia, 2 ft. or more high: lvs. ovate-lanceolate, or the lower ones broadly ovate, often 5-nerved, commonly denticulate or sharply serrate, most of them abruptly contracted into a margined petiole; upper lvs. lanceolate and 3-nerved : rays at first an inch long and broadish, later often 2 in. long or more, with the same color- range as E. angustifolia, but rarely almost white. Rich or deep soil. Va. and Ohio to 111. and La. G.L. 19:28. G.M. 22: suppl. Nov. 11; 31:374. Gng. 5:41. Var. serotina, Bailey (Rudbeckia purpurea var. serotina, Nutt. R. serotina, Sweet). The varietal name means late-flowering, but the chief point is the hairy or bristly character of the plant.— Perhaps the best form for garden purposes, the rays said to be much brighter colored, broader and not rolling at the edges.
{{SCH}}
}}

==Cultivation==
Although the plant prefers [[loam]]y or sandy, well-drained soils,  it is little affected by the soil's [[acidity|pH]]. Unable to grow in the shade, ''E. purpurea'' thrives in either dry or moist soil and can tolerate [[drought]], once established.{{wp}}

Prefers a deep rich loam with plenty of leafmold[1] and a sunny position[175]. Succeeds in dry soils and tolerates drought once it is established[160]. Prefers a good light soil[187]. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[187]. Slugs love this plant[K].{{pfaf}}

===Propagation===
''E. purpurea'' can be [[plant propagation|propagated]] either [[Vegetative reproduction|vegetatively]] or from [[seed]]s.<ref name="Plants for a future"/>  Useful vegetative techniques include division, root cuttings, and basal cuttings.  Clumps can be [[division (horticulture)|divided]], or broken into smaller bunches, which is normally done in the spring or autumn.  Cuttings made from roots that are "pencil-sized" will develop into plants when started in late autumn or early winter.<ref name=Zimmerman/> Cuttings of basal shoots in the spring may be rooted when treated with [[Auxin#Root_growth_and_development|rooting hormones]].

[[File:Echinacea purpurea.JPG|thumb|Plants raised outdoors]]
Seed [[germination]] occurs best with daily temperature fluctuations<ref name="Plants for a future"/> or after stratification,<ref>[http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_ecpu.pdf USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Eastern Purple Coneflower (''Echinacea purpurea'')]</ref> which help to end [[Dormancy#Dormant_seeds|dormancy]]. Seeds may be started indoors in advance of the growing season or outdoors after the growing season has started.

===Pests and diseases===
[[Slug]]s eat this plant.<ref name="Plants for a future"/>

==Varieties==


==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
File:Echinacea purpurea Punahattu Arto Alanenpää.jpg| photo 1
File:2007 echinacea purpurea.jpg| photo 2
File:Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea Dried Flower Shallow 2000px.jpg| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Echinacea+purpurea Plants for a Future] - creative commons text incorporated
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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