Approximate seeds per pound: 150,000
Seeding rate: 11 pounds per acre
Height: Up to 3 ft.
Flower Color: Light pink to cerise
Plant Type: Perennial. Returns each spring from same roots, forming expanding clump. Blooms second spring from seed.
Flower Type: Daisy-like
Bloom Time: Mid and late season
Is this wildflower invasive? No
Is this wildflower endangered? No
Is this wildflower edible? No
Is this wildflower medicinal? Yes
Regions: Native to plains regions, but can be grown in all regions.
Zones: 3 - 9
Soil preference: Adaptable
Sun/Shade: Full sun
Moisture Requirements: Average to dry
Germination: 15-30 days
Optimum soil temperature for germination: 70F - 75F
Sowing depth: 1/8"

Purple coneflower is a 2-3 foot perennial with large, daisy-like flowers with swept back reddish-purple rays. The center disk of the flower is cone shaped, large and orange-brown in color. The leaves are low on the flower stem, long and tapering with a rough-toothed edge. The flower is unmistakable; it resembles a black-eyed susan dipped in raspberry juice. When not flowering, the plant is somewhat harder to identify. This plant is resistant to deer.

Purple coneflower has a long history of medicinal use. Native Americans used it as an antidote for snake bit and other venomous bites and stings. It was also used in a smoke treatment for headaches. Purple coneflower was used to calm toothaches and sore gums, and tea form it was drunk to treat colds, mumps, arthritis, and a blood purifier (often a euphemism for the treatment of venereal diseases). Further, it was used as a treatment for pain, indigestion, tumors, malaria and hemorrhoids. After a long period of disregard, purple coneflower has come back into vogue in recent years. It is used primarily as an immune-system booster and it has been used as a treatment for skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, boils and wounds, burns, cold sores and genital herpes. It is also recommended for use to treat bronchitis, tonsillitis, meningitis, tuberculosis, abscesses, whooping cough, arthritis and ear infections.