Shade Loving Coneflower is an annual herb, growing to
10-20 cm high. The funnel-shaped flowers are violetish white in the
throat with streaks of violet. The flower throat is also hairy. Flowers
have 5 blue, rounded unequal petals. Sepal-cup is 5-lobed, free near to
the base; sepals unequal, fringed with hairs, sparsely glandular-hairy;
larger lobe 7-9 mm long, oblong-linear; other 4-lobes 5-7 mm long,
linear. The slender stem is covered with soft white hairs. Oppositely
arranged ovate-elliptic narrow leaves are 3-8 cm long. Flowers occur
either in the leaf axils, or in spikes at the end of stems. Shade
Loving Coneflower is common in the grasslands of the Western Ghats. It
is also found in Western Himalaya, at altitudes of 300-2400 m, and in
Bangladesh and Myanmar. Flowering: November-December.