14 Nebraskaland • June 2025
The prairie coneflower and pale purple coneflower
are native perennials that grow in dry to moist prairies
in Nebraska, while the non-native purple coneflower is
commonly planted in flower gardens and prairie restorations.
In early summer, each coneflower stem develops a single
flower head with a ring of pink to rose-red, spreading to
drooping petals.
Like most wildflowers, the coneflowers' showy, colorful
blooms are designed to attract pollinators, mainly butterflies
and bees. However, these plants, along with other members
of the sunflower family, use a bit of trickery. What looks
like a single large flower is actually a cluster of many small
flowers, arranged to mimic one big bloom.
About 60 to 70 million years ago, when sunflowers first
appeared on Earth, their flowers were small and drab. Back
then, their pollen was carried between plants by the wind,
so there was no need for nectar or bright colors to attract
pollinators. But as insects diversified and more became
pollinators, it became more efficient for the plants to rely on
them instead of the whimsies of the wind. This shift led to
more seeds and better survival.
To attract pollinators, coneflowers adapted by arranging
their small flowers into a domed, reddish-brown disc, with
those in the outer ring developing petals. The tubular, petal-
less disc flowers contain both male, pollen-producing stamens
and a female pistil that produces a seed. Surrounding them,
the ray flowers — those with petals — are sterile, serving
only to attract butterflies and bees.
The continued survival of coneflowers shows that
deception has its rewards.
By Gerry Steinauer, Botanist
THE DECEPTIVE CONEFLOWERS
IN THE FIELD
The typical fl ower structure of a sunfl ower family member.
ILLUSTRATION BY TIM REIGERT, NEBRASKALAND
disc flower
ray flower
petal
ovary
pistil
stamen
Purple conefl ower growing in a fl ower garden on Nebraska Game and Parks Commission property in Lincoln.
JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
