General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 10b
Plant Height: 36 inches
Plant Spread: 18 inches
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Flower Color: Pink
Purple
White
Flower Time: Summer
Late summer or early fall
Uses: Cut Flower
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Propagation: Seeds: Stratify seeds: if starting indoors
Suitable for wintersowing
Sow in situ
Start indoors
Propagation: Other methods: Division
Pollinators: Various insects
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger

Image
Common names
  • Pale Coneflower
  • Pale Purple Coneflower
  • Tall Coneflower
  • Pink Coneflower
  • Coneflower

Photo Gallery
Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2014-05-30
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: 2021-06-23
bloom of plant in a raised bed of native forbs
Location: central Illinois
Date: summer 2007
Location: RHS Hyde Hall, Essex.UK.
Date: 2022-07-25
Location: Washburn Park, Lake Dardanelle 
Date: June 19 2021
Location: Wynyard Hall garden, UK
Date: 2019-07-15
Location: Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois
Date: 2016-06-15
white flowers rather than purple

Courtesy of Diane's Flower Seeds
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2021-08-14
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-08-22
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2010-06-22
My yard, zone 6

Courtesy Outsidepride
  • Uploaded by vic

Date: June
photo by H. Zell
Photo by robertduval14

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis
Date: 2023-06-08

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Hamilton Square Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2017-12-27
Location: Hamilton Square Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2016-05-05
Zone 9b. the cotyledons are still visible dried brown.
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: 2021-06-23
blooming in a raised bed of native forbs
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2017-05-23
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-06-18
Location: Lucketts, Loudoun County, Virginia
Date: 2015-06-06
Location: National Botanical Garden, DC, Virginia :) | May, 2022
Date: 2022-05-28

Photo Courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Used with permissio
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2014-07-06
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-06-30
characteristic thread-like baby petals
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2017-05-23
Photo by kingconeflower
Location: Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois
Date: 2016-06-15
white flowers rather than purple
Location: All pictures taken in/on my gardens/greenhouse/property
Date: 2020-02-16
Location: My garden, Ghent, Belgium
Date: 2016-10-27
Photo by robertduval14
Location: HOME CONEFLOWER GARDEN
Date: 2015-06-10
A VERY TALL, UNIQUE CONEFLOWER....UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S BLOOM TIME

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2014-07-06
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2014-07-06
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2014-07-06
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2009-06-29
My yard, zone 6
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2009-06-29
My yard, zone 6
This plant is tagged in:
Image Image Image Image Image Image

Comments:
  • Posted by Cyclaminist (Minneapolis, Minnesota - Zone 5a) on May 26, 2016 11:14 AM concerning plant:
    A long and lanky coneflower. It has thinner petals (technically, petaloid rays) than Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) , a more commonly grown species, but is more drought-tolerant. I grow it on a hill that dries out fast, and now that it's established, it shouldn't need watering. E. purpurea would wilt and die if it were planted in the same place. Similar to Narrow-leaf Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) .
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Jul 6, 2021 7:04 PM concerning plant:
    The native range of this species is from Nebraska to Wisconsin & Michigan down to Georgia to Louisiana & Texas. It has narrow parallel-veined toothless leaves about 4 to 10 inches long. Its flowers bear long, narrow, drooping, pale pinkish-purple to white "petals" that are really ray flowers in the Composite or Aster Family. It can be easily grown in a conventional perennial garden, grows fast, and should be divided about every 4 years when getting over-crowded. Its best bloom is from late June to late July with some sporadic bloom into autumn. It is sold by a good number of native plant nurseries as Blue Moon and Prairie Nursery, but I have not seen it sold in conventional nurseries, unlike its big sister, the Purple Coneflower.
  • Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 1, 2014 7:26 PM concerning plant:
    According to NPIN, Echinacea pallida has special value to native bees.

    Echinacea pallida is a preferred source of nectar for a variety of bees and butterflies.
    A variety of bee species are attracted to this plant including longhorned, sweat, leafcutter, brownbelted bumble, and mining bees.

  • Posted by jmorth (central Illinois) on Dec 2, 2011 12:05 PM concerning plant:
    Habitat is prairies & open woods, A local wildflower.
    Utilized by N American Indians for various ailments including the flu and colds (use similar today in pharmaceutical preparations).
  • Posted by Trish (Grapevine, TX - Zone 8a) on May 10, 2022 9:14 AM concerning plant:
    This species is found in sunny, well-drained sites from Illinois to Iowa and eastern Kansas and south to Georgia and Louisiana. Its 3- to 6-inch-diameter flowers are notable for their reflexed (drooping) petals. Bloom begins in midsummer and lasts until frost. Plants grow 3 to 3-1/2 feet tall. As with black Sampson coneflower, propagation by root division is rarely successful, so propagate this species by seed after moist stratification.
Plant Events from our members
Catmint20906 On June 5, 2015 Obtained plant
aspenhill On May 10, 2014 Obtained plant
DG David (greenthumb99) and Pat (ecnalg) - qty 3
MrsBinWY On April 23, 2022 Seeds germinated
On 4-23-2022, observed 1st seedling emerging.
MrsBinWY On April 16, 2022 Seeds sown
On 4-16-2022, sowed 16 2021C seeds from janinilulu in a milk jug at room temp
mbotanas On May 14, 2023 Transplanted
Homegrown from seed (2022). Planted out (10)
» Post your own event for this plant

« Add a new plant to the database

» Search the Coneflowers Database: by characteristics or by cultivar name

« See the general plant entry for Coneflowers (Echinacea)

« The Coneflowers Database Front Page

« The Plants Database Front Page

Today's site banner is by RootedInDirt and is called "Plant Combo "

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.