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

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

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

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Its natural habitat is dry,

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

, 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. 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 means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a structure that continues from one or both ends, such as an aneurysm on a b ...

taproot. The foliage and

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

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 is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

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 Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

). Normally single

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) 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, compos ...

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, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

, below the

are lanceolate to ovate, wide and long. The seeds are produced in angled fruits called Cypselae 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 South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, Georgia,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Missouri Missouri 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 is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. 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