Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower)
Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower)
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Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) expresses the viable seed content of a seed lot using its purity and germination or viability test results. It helps you compare seed lots and calculate how much bulk seed is needed to meet a specified PLS planting rate.
PLS weight and bag weight
PLS weight is not the same as the total weight of seed in a bag. For example, a lot with 80% purity and 75% viability contains 60% PLS: 80 × 75 ÷ 100 = 60. Supplying 10 lb PLS from that lot requires about 16.67 lb of bulk seed.
Use the current seed test and the stated basis of the mix specification. Germination calculations may include applicable hard or dormant seed. Seed-count estimates also require the number of seeds per pound; PLS alone does not provide a seed count.
What to check when buying a mix
Check whether each rate is stated in PLS pounds, bulk pounds, or a combination. A mix with both bases should not be described as having an all-PLS total.
PLS does not remove weed seeds or guarantee establishment. Review the seed label and analysis for weed content, and match site preparation, planting conditions and follow-up management to your project.
Sources: USDA NRCS, Understanding Pure Live Seed and The Importance of Seed Quality for Natural Resource Conservation.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) has long, narrow pink to pale-purple petals that hang below a raised central cone. The flowers appear in early summer on upright stems, with much of the rough-textured foliage near the base. Mature flowering plants reach about 3 feet.
Full sun and well-drained soil are the main requirements. Lean, sandy, or rocky ground can be suitable, and an established plant’s taproot helps it tolerate drought. Avoid treating it as a wet-site coneflower or adding rich soil simply to make it grow faster.
The narrow petals and relatively open stems make it useful in a mixed prairie planting without creating a broad mass of leaves overhead. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers. After flowering, the developing seed heads provide a different appearance from the summer blooms and can be left standing in a naturalized garden.
Plant specifications & ecological relationships
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Full sun |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Average to dry |
| Height | Up to 3 ft |
| Bloom season | Early summer |
Native landscape companions
For full sun and dry-mesic soil, consider these native plants alongside Echinacea pallida:
| Companion plant | Height |
|---|---|
| Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) | ½–3 ft |
| Plains Oval Sedge (Carex brevior) | Flowering stems 2½–3¼ ft long; often leaning |
| Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens) | 1-3 ft |
| Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) | 2-3 ft |
These landscape suggestions combine overlapping growing needs with documented plant associations. Match soil, seasonal wetness and mature spread to your site. Remnant records are described separately under Plant communities & associates.
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Growth habit | Upright, unbranched herbaceous perennial |
|---|---|
| Root form | Taproot |
| Soil pH | Published cultivation guidance lists acidic, neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established. |
| Cultivation hardiness zones | Zones 3a–10b (general cultivation guidance) |
| Drought tolerance | Strong drought resistance reported |
| Deer browsing | Deer resistance reported in cultivation guidance; browsing remains possible. |
| Salt tolerance | Low |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Echinacea pallida |
|---|---|
| Other common names | pale purple coneflower; Pale Purple Coneflower |
| Seed germination | USDA lists cold stratification as required; duration is not specified. |
| Plant family | Asteraceae |
| Seeds per pound — reference estimate | 106000 |
Plant characteristics
This plant is an extremely popular ornamental because of its deep pink flowers and erect nature. Also, a food source for yellow finches and nectar source for many butterflies.
- Flower Color Pale pink to pale purple
- Flower Time June-July
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates
Illinois plant communities
Mesic black-soil prairie — central Illinois
Recorded at Loda Cemetery Prairie (Iroquois County), Prospect Cemetery Prairie (Ford County), Weston Cemetery Prairie (McLean County). INHS identifies these sites as remnants of this community.
Selected native plants from the same remnant records:
- Sorghastrum nutans
- Andropogon gerardii
- Sporobolus heterolepis
- Eryngium yuccifolium
- Silphium laciniatum
- Parthenium integrifolium
These inventories include edges and disturbed patches. Shared remnant records do not establish that every plant grows together in one microsite.
Illinois plant communities
These regional accounts place this plant and the plants below in the same type of natural community. A community list does not mean that every species grew together in one plot. Use the habitat and location to understand the relationship; it is not a planting recipe.
- Gravel prairie — Illinois River valley, Illinois: Schizachyrium scoparium, Bouteloua curtipendula, Dichanthelium oligosanthes, Sorghastrum nutans, Sporobolus clandestinus, Ambrosia psilostachya, Dalea purpurea, Opuntia humifusa. (pp. 267)
Other regional plant communities
These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.
- Plains grasslands (South-central South Dakota): Liatris punctata.
North Eldred — hill prairie
Native hill-prairie stand surveyed in 1949–1951. These dated records do not establish presence today.
Other native plants recorded in this surveyed community: Amorpha canescens, Bouteloua curtipendula, Ceanothus americanus, Euphorbia corollata, Liatris aspera, Liatris cylindracea, Lobelia spicata, Monarda fistulosa, Phlox pilosa, Physostegia virginiana.
Evers 1955, Table 14. Selected associates from the same community; records do not show immediate neighbors or prescribe planting ratios.
Valmeyer — hill prairie
Native hill-prairie stand surveyed in 1949–1951. These dated records do not establish presence today.
Other native plants recorded in this surveyed community: Amorpha canescens, Bouteloua curtipendula, Ceanothus americanus, Euphorbia corollata, Heuchera richardsonii, Liatris aspera, Liatris cylindracea, Monarda bradburiana, Phlox pilosa, Pycnanthemum pilosum.
Evers 1955, Table 14. Selected associates from the same community; records do not show immediate neighbors or prescribe planting ratios.
Chautauqua — hill prairie
Native hill-prairie stand surveyed in 1949–1951. These dated records do not establish presence today.
Other native plants recorded in this surveyed community: Amorpha canescens, Bouteloua curtipendula, Camassia scilloides, Euphorbia corollata, Heuchera richardsonii, Juncus dudleyi, Liatris cylindracea, Monarda fistulosa, Ruellia humilis, Silphium integrifolium.
Evers 1955, Table 14. Selected associates from the same community; records do not show immediate neighbors or prescribe planting ratios.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.
| Wetland indicator — Corps Chicago 2017 table | UPL |
|---|---|
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 10 |
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Louisiana; Maine; Massachusetts; Michigan; Missouri; Nebraska; New York; North Carolina; Oklahoma; Rhode Island; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; Wisconsin |
| County nativity | Cook County, Illinois — native-remnant population documented in the 2000 survey. Partial county coverage; other counties have not yet been assessed here. |
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Illinois bees & other flower visitors
A historical survey near Carlinville, Illinois, recorded 38 insect entries visiting Pale Purple Coneflower, including 23 bee entries. The reported visits fell between May 25 and June 21 across the survey. These are historical records, not a current census.
The names below follow the original account; some are abbreviated to a genus. They have not been reconciled to current insect names. Flower visits do not establish a caterpillar-host relationship or specialist dependence on this plant.
Bees
- Apis — abbreviated in source
- Bombias auricomus
- Bombias separatus
- Bombus americanorum
- Psithyrus variabilis
- Ceratina — abbreviated in source
- Cyphopyga — abbreviated in source
- Megachile brevis
- Megachile mendica
- Sayapis pugnata
- Coelioxys 8-dentata
- Xylocopa — abbreviated in source
- Holonomada affabilis
- Holonomada superba
- Agapostemon texanus
- Agapostemon viridulus
- Chloralictus pilosus
- Chloralictus pruinosus
- Chloralictus versatus
- Odontalictus — abbreviated in source
- Oxystoglossa confusa
- Oxystoglossa similis
- Pseudopanurgus albitarsis
Butterflies, skippers & moths
- Anosia — abbreviated in source
- Basilarchia archippus
- Charidryas — abbreviated in source
- Vanessa atalanta
- Vanessa huntera
- Chrysophanus — abbreviated in source
- Eurymus — abbreviated in source
- Papilio — abbreviated in source
- Pontia — abbreviated in source
- Limochores taumas
- Polites — abbreviated in source
- Hemaris thysbe
Other insect visitors
- Sphex nigricans
- Spallanzania — abbreviated in source
- Typocerus sinuatus
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for Pale Purple Coneflower?
Light: Full sun. Soil moisture: Average to dry.
How do I germinate and establish Pale Purple Coneflower from seed?
USDA lists cold stratification as required; duration is not specified.
Is Pale Purple Coneflower deer and herbivore resistant?
Deer resistance reported in cultivation guidance; browsing remains possible. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.
When should I expect Pale Purple Coneflower to bloom?
Typical flowering period: Early summer. Timing varies with location and weather.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Landscape companion selection: Natural Communities compared the growing requirements shown on these species pages with selected source records: Hill prairie — Illinois; Gravel prairie — Illinois River valley, Illinois. The shortlist is a planting-design inference. A shared record does not establish adjacency, identical soil requirements, local seed origin, or a tested planting combination. Regional synthesis records retain their documented focal-to-associate scope.
Illinois communities & local records: INHS: Loda, Prospect and Weston prairie records; INHS: Illinois sand-area plant communities; Shouba & Murray: Wolf Road Prairie, Cook County (2000).
Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online.
Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA Forest Service: Liatris punctata; USDA NRCS PLANTS; Flowers and insects; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.
Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.
Research notes & credits
USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication.
Historical Illinois flower visitors: Charles Robertson, Flowers and insects (1928 title page; 1929 copyright), printed p. 62, under Brauneria pallida. Independently transcribed from the original public-domain book. Its preface places observations within ten miles of Carlinville. Historical insect names and abbreviated entries are retained; visit records are not host records. Kew POWO confirms the plant-name synonym; taxonomic facts © Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, CC BY 3.0.
Source: Phillippe, L.R., Molano-Flores, B., Murphy, M.J.C., Marcum, P.B. & Ebinger, J.E. (2011), Status of Endangered and Threatened Sand Area Species of the Illinois Flora, Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 39(4):259–296. © 2011 University of Illinois Board of Trustees; CC BY 4.0. Selected community facts regrouped and described by Natural Communities. Historical source names retained; no current legal conservation status is asserted.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Echinacea pallida. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.
Additional community records: Evers (1955), Hill Prairies of Illinois. Hill-prairie records adapted from Evers (1955), © University of Illinois Board of Trustees, CC BY 4.0. Selected facts and taxonomic links; source spellings and historical survey dates retained.
Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
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Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
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- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
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- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
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Where We Ship
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
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- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
- If you cannot install your plants immediately
- Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
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