Pale Purple Coneflower

Pale purple coneflower plants (Echinacea pallida) belong to the family 'Asteraceae'. These plants, which are native to some parts of the United States are mainly used as a garden plant or are grown for its medicinal uses. It is believed that this herb has the ability to boost the immune system. Often seen in the wild as a single-branched plant, pale purple coneflowers in gardens are seen as multi-stemmed clusters. This plant is often mistaken for the purple coneflower, which is a distant relative of pale purple coneflower. The former has brighter petals, broader leaves, in addition to different other features.

Physical Features of the Pale Purple Coneflower

While the pale purple coneflowers are perennial plants, and can grow up to three feet in height, most plants range between 1.5 to 2.5 feet in height. As already stated, the wild ones have a main central stem, whereas those in gardens have many stems. The stems are green in color or in some cases, shaded with purple or red color. These stems possess coarse hairs, which are whitish in color. Most of the leaves are concentrated near the base of the pale purple coneflower plant. There are very few leaves on the stems of these plants and the basal leaves have long stalks. The leaves have rough surfaces which possess parallel veins, coarse white hair and tapering ends. The leaves of this plant can have a maximum length of ten inches and a width of up to two inches.

Normally, a single daisy-like flower can be seen on the top of each stem. The width of the flowers may be between one to three inches and the color of the petals ranges from pale rose-purple to white. There can be 12 to 20 petals, which are slender, long and drooping. These flowers lack any kind of fragrance and possess reddish brown cone of disk florets in the center. The flowering season starts with the early summer and lasts for at least three weeks. As the season ends, the ray florets shrivel away and the color of the disk florets' cone turns to black. The fruits of pale purple coneflower plants, called 'cypselae', have angled edges. These plants have a deep spindle-shaped taproot system.

Range, Habitat and Planting

The pale purple coneflower, which is a native to the south central United States, is widely distributed in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Alabama and Texas. Though found in the states of Tennessee and Wisconsin, it is a threatened species in this region. The habitat of pale purple coneflower includes dry black soil prairies, savannas, abandoned fields, limestones glades and open areas adjacent to railroads.

These plants are mainly grown for prairie landscaping, native gardens, roadside gardens, wildlife food, medicinal uses, etc. A seedbed should be prepared for planting the seeds of the pale purple coneflower. It should be firm enough to plant the seeds 1/8 inch deep. Use some chemical weed control on the seedbed. Most people prefer dormant seeds for planting, as it gives good results. It takes about two months to break dormancy, provided the environment is cold and moist. Fertilizers should be used sparingly to reduce the occurrence of weeds. Regular weeding is necessary for the healthy growth of the plant.

Being a wild plant, pale purple coneflowers do not require a lot of caring. They are drought resistant and are resistant to many diseases as well. You can easily grow these plants and enhance the beauty of your garden.