Flower profile

Narrow-leaved purple coneflower

Echinacea angustifolia

Narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Narrow-leaved purple coneflower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

15states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

3,196U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota

Quick look

Echinacea angustifolia, the narrow-leaved purple coneflower or blacksamson echinacea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread across much of the Great Plains of central Canada and the central United States, with additional populations in surrounding regions.
From Wikipedia's article Echinacea angustifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 15 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota, North Dakota and Kansas. ^NatureServe
In North Dakota, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 500 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #20 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 420 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #5 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 313 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #87 among the 151 flowers on our Kansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (475 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
South Dakota	Native	few records (23)	500
North Dakota	Native	June–July	420
Kansas	Native	few records (12)	313

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S2), LA (S1), MO (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records narrow-leaved purple coneflower in 15 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Aurora, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison, Day, Dewey, Fall River, Faulk, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hanson, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Meade, Mellette, Minnehaha, Pennington, Perkins, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton, Ziebach.

North Dakota counties with USDA records: Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Ward, Williams.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson, Edwards, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Morris, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 411 counties across 16 states; the most are in Kansas (70), Texas (58), Nebraska (54).

Other Echinacea on Bloomipedia (3): Purple coneflower, Pale purple coneflower, Tennessee purple coneflower.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More South Dakota flowers

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Creeping thistle

Cirsium arvense

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Curlycup gumweed

Grindelia squarrosa

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ECAN2.
iNaturalist, Echinacea angustifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Echinacea angustifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Echinacea angustifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Catherine C. Galley via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.