''Echinacea simulata'', commonly called wavy leaf purple coneflower, glade coneflower, or prairie purple coneflower, is a species of

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. It is native to the east-central states of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Its natural habitat is dry,

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcare ...

, open areas such as barrens and woodlands.

Description

''Echinacea simulata'' is very similar in appearances to '' E. pallida'', which has a different chromosome number. The most readily distinguishing morphological feature is that ''E. simulata'' has yellow

pollen grains Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains h ...

. More work is needed to determine the physical and ecological differences between these two taxa. This species grows on usually unbranched stems up to tall from a branched

fusiform Fusiform (from Latin ''fusus'' ‘spindle’) means having a spindle (textiles), spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon (geometry), lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a ...

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...

. The foliage and

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

s have spreading hairs that are sparsely to densely distributed. The stems are mostly green or purple mottled. The plant has both basal leaves and leaves along the stem. Leaves are alternate, simple,

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

and long. They usually have 3 primary veins. The basal leaves and lower stem leaves have petioles that are long, and the stem leaves have shorter petioles or no petioles ( sessile). Normally single

flower heads A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

are produced on peduncles that are long. Ray corollas are normally soft rose to pink colored but also rarely off white. There are typically 8 to 21 rays that are long and drooping, surrounding a central cone-shaped disk. The phyllaries, or

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also loo ...

, below the

are lanceolate to ovate, wide and long. The seeds are produced in angled fruits called

Cypselae Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fam ...

that are tan and long, with smooth surfaces, normally without hairs.Flora of North America, Wavy-leaf purple coneflower, ''Echinacea simulata''
/ref> Image:SeedsEchinaceasimulata.jpg, Fruits of ''Echinacea simulata''

Distribution and habitat

''E. simulata'' is native to the east-central states of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. The plant is rare in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. It is reported as introduced in Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also reports it as native to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Wavy leaf purple coneflower has a relatively small distribution, and its locations are still being determined. The plant grows in glades and open woodlands and prefers dry, calcareous soils.

Ecology

This species blooms in late spring to midsummer. Butterflies and bees are attracted to the nectar and birds eat the seeds in the late summer and fall.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5332436 simulata Flora of the Eastern United States Plants described in 1967