Echinacea paradoxa earns its species name: it is the paradox coneflower, the one genus member that produces yellow ray flowers while every close relative runs to purple and pink. Native to Missouri south through Texas, it grows in the dry, rocky soils of the Ozarks and central prairies, and is listed as threatened in Arkansas. At up to three feet tall, it sends up several stems per clump, each carrying blooms up to six inches across with bright yellow rays surrounding a darker central cone. It flowers in early summer, and its deep tap root helps it persist through drought.

In the garden, Yellow Coneflower looks best in groups of at least three, where the stems can lean on one another — planted singly they can be floppy, and staking or sturdy neighbors like little bluestem are worth considering. The yellow works particularly well against pink, red, or purple companions: bee balm and native grasses set it off beautifully. It is a reliable pollinator magnet and suits meadow, prairie, and naturalized plantings. The plant spreads by seed and forms clumps over time that can be divided as they become large enough.