The Echinacea genus is an outcrossing taxon that is well known for its medicinal properties and bright pink ray flowers. Indigenous peoples used the roots and leaves as a cure all for allergies and allergic reactions (USDA NRCS). Echinacea species are typically found  in prairie and glade ecosystems, which are threatened in the United States (Wagenius et al. 2010, Center for Cedar Glade Studies). The most broadly distributed Echinacea species is E. purpurea with a range expanding across the eastern half of the United States (Kindscher 2006). In contrast, E. tennesseensis is confined to only six counties in Tennessee (TN DNR).       I am aiming to 1) reconstruct the Echinacea species tree using 100s of nuclear genes and compare it with a plastid genome tree and 2) test for species radiations in the evolutionary history of Echinacea.  While the Echinacea plastome tree includes a polytomy, my species tree analysis will test whether a polytomy is also seen in a species tree based on nuclear genes. In any case, a species tree for Echinacea will be foundational for my future investigation into the drivers of rarity for all species native to the southeastern U.S. (E. purpurea, E. laevigata, E. tennesseensis, and E. simulata).