Legal protection of Echinacea and other medicinal plant species

Abstract

Little protection has been granted to native Echinacea species due to the regional abundance of Echinacea species in the wild and its ease of cultivation. The exceptions are two species, Echinacea laevigata and E. tennesseensis, which were both federally listed as threatened, due to their rarity. It is only when sudden market demands trigger exceptionally large harvests that property owners and conservationists become concerned about legal protection and the sustainability of harvesting practices. Laws regulating the harvest and exportation of wild plant species are the result. Of the 22 states that have laws concerning native plant protection, only North Dakota specifically lists Echinacea angustifolia. Populations of Echinacea species are found from the Great Plains in southern Canada and Montana to Texas east to Michigan, Virginia, and Florida, yet the native species across this range have little protection in any state. Educational efforts may be the best way to conserve Echinacea species on private lands where most of these native populations occur.