The Tennessee purple coneflower (echinacea tennesseensis). Photo by Mary Reagan, who released it to the public domain.
Official State Wildflower of Tennessee
The Tennessee purple coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) was designated one of Tennessee's official state wildflowers in 2012 (passion flower was adopted as the original state wildflower in 1919). Tennessee also recognizes iris as the state cultivated flower (adopted in 1933), and an official state botanical garden. All State Flowers
The Tennessee purple coneflower is found only in the limestone and cedar glades of Middle Tennessee. This wildflower was thought to be extinct, but was discovered growing in the cedar glades of Middle Tennessee in the late 1960's. In 1979 the Tennessee purple coneflower was one of the first plants to be listed as endangered by the United States.
Conservation efforts to protect existing and establish new colonies of this rare wildflower has allowed the Tennessee purple coneflower to make some recovery and it was removed from the endangered list in 2011. Seeds are available commercially.
CONTRIBUTORS: Content for this article was submitted by Mary Reagan (user remontant).
