Echinacea angustifolia /ˌɛkɪˈneɪʃə/
Common name: Narrow-leaved coneflower · Narrow-leaf purple coneflower · Black sampson
Echinacea angustifolia is a perennial herb in the aster family (Asteraceae), native to the dry prairies and plains of central North America from Saskatchewan and Manitoba south to Texas. It has narrow, bristly leaves and pink to purple flower heads with short, spreading ray florets around a dark spiny cone, growing from a deep taproot. It is cultivated as a drought-tolerant prairie ornamental and is the species most prized historically and commercially for herbal echinacea preparations.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun
Water
Low; very drought-tolerant once established
Soil
Dry to medium, well-drained; tolerates rocky or sandy soil
Hardiness
Zones 3–8
Mature height
About 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
Pet safe
Generally considered non-toxic to cats and dogs
Difficulty
Easy
Propagation
Grow from seed sown in autumn or after a period of cold stratification, germinating in a few weeks in spring. Established clumps can also be divided in early spring or autumn, though the deep taproot resents disturbance, so seed is generally easier.
Fun facts
- Its deep taproot lets it survive drought and prairie fires, but also makes mature plants difficult to transplant.
- Plains tribes used it as a remedy for more ailments than any other plant, and it was the echinacea species first adopted by 19th-century "eclectic" physicians.
- Chewing the root produces a tingling, numbing sensation in the mouth, caused by alkylamide compounds.
- The epithet "angustifolia" means "narrow-leaved," distinguishing it from the broader-leaved Echinacea purpurea.