Echinacea is most common in the Ozarks and in the Mississippi/Ohio Valley. Its habitats include dry open woods, prairies and barrens. Echinacea purpurea is an herbaceous perennial up to 47 in tall by 10 in wide at maturity. Depending on the climate, it blooms throughout summer into autumn. Its cone-shaped flowering heads are usually, but not always, purple in the wild. It is pollinated by butterflies and bees. It prefers well drained soil and full sun. It is also grown as an ornamental in gardens.
