Here is Echinacea pallida var. pallida and Echinacea atrorubens var. paradoxa (yellow ligules) as they may be found in a few remaining natural populations in Missouri, USA. Of these two varieties, cultivated var. pallida is one of the commercial sources for Echinacea phytomedicines. The other, E. atrorubens var. paradoxa (syn. E. paradoxa var. paradoxa (Norton) McGregor) is currently pending status on the list of federally-protected plants in the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
