Olivia Simmons
Major: Ecology and Political Inquiry
Academic Advisor: Kim Landsbergen
Co-op Advisor: Luisa Bieri
Co-ops: Whiterock, Coon Rapids, Iowa, Land Steward | Glen Helen, Yellow Springs, Ohio, Administrative Assistant, Community Builds, Utah, Builder Bees Internship
Languages: English
Home City: Lebanon, Ohio
Email: osimmons@antiochcollege.edu
Commercial Availability of the Echinacea Genus, its Cultivars, and Broader Implications for Native Plant Gardening
RATIONALE: Native plants are crucial when it comes to supporting biodiversity. A popular midwestern native plant for sale has been the Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). Many horticulturally- cultivated varieties (“cultivars”) of coneflower appear to be more abundant at retailers than the native E. purpurea. Previous research has suggested that cultivars of native plants (“nativars”) provide fewer resources and are visited less by pollinators. What gardeners can plant is limited to what they can find to buy. Hence the goal of this project was to assess the retail availability of Echinacea nativars, because of the possible future impacts on suburban biodiversity.
METHODS: To measure how prevalent cultivars have become, I visited 39 store locations across SW Ohio from June - August 2023 to census and photograph the quantity and kinds of E. purpurea and its cultivars available for sale.
RESULTS: E. purpurea was found only in one location: at an independent nursery. cultivars were only found for sale in big box stores. During the census period, 60 different cultivars of Echinacea were for sale. Ten of those were “pom-pom” cultivars, where the pollen- and nectar-producing disk florets are replaced by ray petals; this morphology yields less food for visiting insects. Most of the cultivars were different in color than the pale pink petals of the native species.
SIGNIFICANCE: During this research project, native E. purpurea plants were found to be rare compared to cultivars in retail stores in SW Ohio. Some stores advertised cultivars as ‘native plants’ despite the biodiversity outcome of buying those plants not being the same.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Consumers that want to help pollinators should patronize stores that sell native species, demand them at box stores, or buy seeds and plants online.