Perennial of the Month-- September 2002 
Perennial of the Month-- September 2002
(eh-kin-aa' cee-ah) (pronunciation at link, turn up volume)
Common name: Purple Coneflower
Family: Asteraceae (Aster, Composite, Daisy)
Height x Width: 2-3' x 1-2'
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: dark green, alternate, simple, often clasp the stem
Flowers: purple, slightly reflexed petals surrounding orange-brownish cone, late summer through early fall for several weeks
Hardiness: zones 3-4 to 8
Soil: most especially drought, not too wet
Light: sun
Pests and problems: fungal leaf spots, virus, mites, aphids, thrips
Landscape habit, uses: front of borders, containers, native meadows, butterfly gardens
Other interest: very attractive to butterflies, genus name from prickly lower stem resembling a hedgehog (Latin echinos), popular for medicinal use from vitamin C supplement to colds to other attributed uses, good cut or dried flower (cone); related cultivar 'Kim's Mop Head' is white, lower; this cultivar should be about 2', but often reaches higher in second and subsequent years; noted for its shorter height than other cultivars; from Kim Hawkes nurserywoman in N.C., Niche Gardens with Sunny Border introduction in 1999
Other culture: may self sow
Propagation: PPAF, for licensed propagators
Sources: many local and mail order/online catalogs