Echinacea purpurea

Name: Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower – Pollinator Perennial
Brand: Echinacea
SKU: pda137
Price: 4.9 EUR
Availability: InStock

€4,90

Organic

Sustainable

Locally grown

Echinacea purpurea is a hardy, fast-growing perennial native to North America, widely cultivated for its ornamental, ecological, and medicinal value.

The flowers are cone-shaped and usually, but not always, purple in the wild. The blooms are long lasting - sometimes up to five months!

All sorts of bees are attracted to these flowers including Bumblebees, sweat bees, honey bees, the sunflower leafcutter bee, and the mining bee Andrena helianthiformis.

And butterflies! Notable butterflies include monarchs, swallowtail butterflies, and sulphur butterflies.

And birds! The plant produces achenes (a dry fruit) which is sought after by birds, particularly finches.

Flowering	July, August, September
Flower Color	Purple
Exposure	Full Sun
Frost Tolerance	-20.5°C
Size	60cm H x 40cm W
Soil	Cool, Dry, Well-Draining
Origin	North America

pda137

€4,90

1 left

🪴9x9 cm

🚂 Ships across EU
🌱 Grown in our nursery

☀️ Sun Loving
💦 Drought Tolerant
🌸 Long Flowering Season

🌱 Prefers well-drained conditions and full sun, though it tolerates partial shade.
🌿 Once established, Echinacea is drought-tolerant and resilient, capable of surviving in relatively poor soils where many perennials struggle.

Ecology and Pollinators

Echinacea purpurea is an ecological powerhouse.

Its flowers attract a wide range of pollinators, including bumblebees, sweat bees, honeybees, the sunflower leafcutter bee, and the mining bee Andrena helianthiformis.

Butterflies are frequent visitors, with notable species including monarchs, swallowtails, and sulphur butterflies.

The dense flower heads provide a concentrated source of nectar and pollen, supporting pollinator populations over the long flowering season.

Birds are also drawn to Echinacea, particularly finches, which feed on the seeds (achenes) produced in late summer and autumn.

The spiny central cone protects the seeds until they are fully mature, allowing birds to feed gradually.

This dual role—providing nectar for pollinators and seeds for birds—makes Echinacea an important plant for supporting biodiversity in garden and wild landscapes alike.

Learn more about gardening with Echinacea:

ENG: Gardening with Echinacea
FR: Echinacea - une nouvelle gamme

Echinacea means 'spiny one' in Greek, in reference to the spiny sea urchins 'εχίνοι' which the ripe flower heads of this genus resemble.

Extracts of the plant have shown to have immunostimulant properties and were cultivated commercially in Germany around 1939 and in Switzerland around 1950.

Although there are over 400 publications concerning the plant and dozens of preparations of Echinacea on the market, the true identity of many of the active principles still remains open.

Today, people use echinacea to shorten the duration of the common cold and flu, and reduce symptoms, such as sore throat (pharyngitis), cough, and fever.

It is one of the most widely studied medicinal plants, with over 400 scientific publications addressing its pharmacological potential.

Despite decades of study, the exact identity and mechanisms of all active compounds remain partially unresolved, making it a continuing subject of botanical and pharmacological research.

Other Names

Eastern purple coneflower

Purple coneflower

Hedgehog coneflower