| Author | R.L. McGregor | |
| Distribution | Reported to occur in NC, apparently at or near Picture Creek Barrens (Granville County) (Stanley et al., 2019, Guide to the Vascular Flora of Picture Creek Diabase Barrens, Granville County, North Carolina, U.S.A.) if not at other sites. However, it is likely not native anywhere in NC. SERNEC contains no NC records.
Native to "IN, IL, and MO south to KY, TN, and n. AR" (Weakley 2018); "some of the more eastern disjunct populations previously considered to be E. pallida are actually E. simulata; additional work is needed to disentangle the relative distributions of these two species in our area" (Weakley 2018). | |
| Abundance | Weakley's (2018) maps shows its occurrence in the NC Piedmont, as introduced/adventive; Stanley et al. (2019) report it in southern Granville County, though stating "Not seen at PCDB [Picture Creek Diabase Barrens] by present authors". Thus, the website editors will allow for it occurring in NC, but not for it being native. For now it is being listed here with a State Rank of SE? (Exotic?). | |
| Habitat | This is a prairie species in its native range, also in open glade-like woodlands. | |
| Phenology | Blooms and fruits June-July. | |
| Identification | This purple coneflower is extremely like E. pallida except that it has pale to bright yellow pollen, versus white (to rarely lemon yellow) pollen in E. pallida. The ray blades are 4-7 mm wide, versus just 3-4 mm wide in E. pallida (Weakley 2018). The leaves of these two species are noticeably narrower than are those of the other two species in the state -- E. laevigata and E. purpurea. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | See Distribution comments. Some specimens in the Southeastern states formerly considered as E. pallida have recently been determined to be E. simulata.
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| Other Common Name(s) | Prairie Purple Coneflower | |
| State Rank | SE? | |
| Global Rank | G4 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
