Eastern Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Pollinator Value

Proximity Score: 3a
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: W
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.5 – Driftless Area
Rarity Notes: Not at risk. Echinacea purpurea is introduced in both Ontario and Quebec (VASCAN). NatureServe global rank G4, national rank NNA for Canada. Not listed under SARA. S-rank SNA in Ontario reflecting non-native status.
S22 G4, NNA; S26 not SARA listed; S1 introduced in ON/QC
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON SNA – Not Applicable
Migration: Disjunct
Ecological Context: Echinacea purpurea is native to dry open woods, prairies, thickets, and barrens of the southeastern and midwestern United States, ranging from Virginia and Ohio south to Georgia and Louisiana. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region it is introduced and naturalized, escaping from gardens and prairie plantings into roadsides and disturbed fields. It thrives on well-drained limestone, sand, clay, and loam soils in open to partly shaded habitats.
S29 dry open woods, prairies, barrens; S4 native habitat; S7 escapes from gardens; S1 introduced in ON/QC

Roles: Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [HIGH]: S11 Fire Resistant = Yes (definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: Echinacea purpurea functions as an insectary and pollinator plant in guild design, attracting butterflies, native bees, and parasitic wasps. PFAF notes it provides shelter and overwintering sites for beneficial insects. The fibrous root system with short rhizomes stabilizes soil. Deer-resistant foliage makes it suitable for exposed edges of food forest or prairie guild plantings.
S29 pollinator, beneficial insect shelter, deer resistant; S46 fibrous root with rhizomes

Category: Adaptogen, Alterative, Antiseptic, Aphrodisiac, Depurative, Digestive, Sialagogue
S29 PFAF medicinal uses; S36 Health Canada approved herbal name
Notes: One of the most important medicinal herbs in North American indigenous and Western herbal medicine. Choctaw used root chewed or as tincture for coughs and dyspepsia. Delaware used root infusions for venereal disease. PFAF rates medicinal value 5/5. The root is the primary medicinal part, harvested in late autumn. Over 200 pharmaceutical preparations are made from Echinacea in Germany. Health Canada lists it as an approved herbal ingredient. The plant stimulates the immune system and has antibacterial and cortisone-like activity.
S28 Choctaw and Delaware uses; S29 medicinal rating 5/5, immune system; S36 Health Canada approved

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: PFAF rates edibility 1/5. Leaves are reported as edible but no preparation details are provided. Not commonly consumed as food. The plant is far more valued medicinally than as a food source.
S29 Edibility Rating 1/5, leaves edible; S28 no food category uses