Echinacea sanguinea

Some taxonomists restrict E. sanguinea to locations south of the Red River (McKeown 1999).

Echinacea sanguinea is a tap rooted perennial herb of the southeastern to south central United States in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Although still abundant in some areas, this species has suffered from large scale habitat loss and degradation. The conversion of its native prairie to pastures or developed lands and logging of woodland habitat, highway maintenance practices and fire suppression have contributed to a slow decline in the species. As a species of highly fragmented habitats, inbreeding depression and low reproductive success are issues to monitor moving forward, in addition to direct loss of occurrences.

Echinacea sanguinea occurs in the southeastern to south central USA in eastern Texas and western Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas in Miller County. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1983 and 2024 (iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).

Historically, this species was common in eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It is uncommon in southeastern Oklahoma and Miller County, Arkansas. By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1983 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 145 occurrences rangewide (iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).

This species is threatened by fire suppression resulting in habitat succession, mowing and herbicide use to control noxious weeds or roadside vegetation, logging, development, competitive non-native species, and wild harvest for the medicinal herb trade. Habitat destruction by logging is possibly the biggest threat and especially evident in areas where logging is prevalent in western Louisiana. Where open pine woods have not been clear cut, encroachment is occurring. Urbanization in Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas in addition to widespread habitat conversion in eastern Texas are resulting in loss of habitat (Singhurst, pers. comm., 2024). Populations in powerline rights-of-way are declining but secure in Arkansas due to the use of herbicides (Witsell, pers. comm., 2024).

Excessive commercial harvest for medicinal purposes is a potential future threat depending on the demand of the market, local economics, and the standing of cultivated sources. While E. angustifolia is typically targeted, any Echinacea spp. could be impacted. This species has a deep taproot similar to Echinacea angustifolia. A study of the species response to harvesting found that when roots of E. angustifolia are shallowly harvested with less root length removed, plants can resprout; one study found 50% of plants resprouted at harvest sites. This research suggests that the species is capable of recovering after severe harvest if the plants are given time to recover (Kindscher et al. 2008). Castle et al. (2014) assessed the risk of overharvest as moderate for this species based on life history, effects of harvest, populations size, habitat, and demand including the consideration availability of cultivated resources. Castle et al. (2014) assessed the risk of overharvest as moderate for the closely related E. angustifolia, which would have a similar assessment as E. purpurea. This risk is based on life history, effects of harvest, populations size, habitat, and demand including the consideration availability of cultivated resources.