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
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Deadhead purple coneflowers to encourage new growth.
—
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 3 May 2026
One possible menu: prairie alum roots for spring blooms, pale purple coneflowers for early summer, nodding onions for mid-summer, meadow blazing star for late summer, and one aromatic aster for fall.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026
Other amenities and giveaways included free native perennials such as foxglove beardtongue and Ohio spiderwort, plus purple coneflower echinacea seeds and bareroot native saplings.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
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
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Steve Bender, Southern Living, 3 May 2026
One possible menu: prairie alum roots for spring blooms, pale purple coneflowers for early summer, nodding onions for mid-summer, meadow blazing star for late summer, and one aromatic aster for fall.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026
Other amenities and giveaways included free native perennials such as foxglove beardtongue and Ohio spiderwort, plus purple coneflower echinacea seeds and bareroot native saplings.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for purple coneflower
Cite this Entry
“Purple coneflower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purple%20coneflower. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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