purple coneflower

noun

: any of a North American genus (Echinacea, especially E. purpurea) of coarse perennial composite herbs with thick rough leaves and long-stalked flower heads having purplish-brown cone-shaped disks and usually pink to purplish rays

Examples of purple coneflower in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One garden tip Nielsen recommends when cultivating purple coneflower is to work compost into the soil at least two weeks before transplanting or planting coneflower seeds. —Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 16 Apr. 2026

Plant parsley at the base of purple coneflower and tuck rosemary into gaps in a succulent bed. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Apr. 2026

Perennials such as purple coneflower and grasses such as a prairie dropseed provide seed for a food source. —Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026

Several species of wild coneflower are available, but the classic purple coneflower is Echinacea purpurea. —Angela England, The Spruce, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for purple coneflower

• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• horsepower
• manpower
• mayflower
• safflower
• sunflower
• wallflower
• watchtower

Medical Definition

purple coneflower

noun

purple cone·​flow·​er -ˈkōn-ˌflau̇(-ə)r 

: any of three composite herbs (Echinacea purpurea, E. pallida, and E. angustifolia) which have usually reddish purple to pale pink ray flowers and whose various parts (as the dried rhizome, stems, or leaves) are used in the preparation of the dietary supplement echinacea