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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
Fifty varieties of plants are available for purchase, including four milkweed varieties, several grasses, native purple coneflower, cardinal flower, great blue lobelia, meadow blazing star, New England aster, prairie smoke, wild columbine and wild lupine.
—Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
Behind him, in the center of the circle, Brandon Fountain knelt to look into a cluster of purple coneflowers.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
There’s a great birch, Virginia creeper, purple coneflowers.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2023
Instead: For a long-lasting punch of purple in the garden, plant native purple coneflower or blazing star instead of purple loosestrife.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Sep. 2022
Some evidence suggests echinacea might help reduce the effects of upper respiratory tract infections but findings are limited.1 Echinacea, or purple coneflower, is an herb traditionally used in some Native American medicinal practices for wound healing.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 31 Mar. 2023
At her home in Old Lake Highlands, Smith has quite a few favorite species that thrive, including purple coneflower, autumn sage, Texas sage, lantana, four-nerve daisy, mealycup sage and others.
—Holly Haber, Dallas News, 23 Mar. 2023
Perennials such as purple coneflower and grasses such as prairie dropseed provide seed as a food source.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2023
According to a village news release, the MWRD provided biosolid soil that was used for planting native species like milkweed and purple coneflower that are tolerant of salt and pollutants washed in from the street.
—Gary Gibula, Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purple coneflower.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1848, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of purple coneflower was
in 1848
Dictionary Entries Near purple coneflower
Cite this Entry
“Purple coneflower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purple%20coneflower. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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
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