Echinacea purpurea

Taxobox

---

image_width = 250px
name = "Echinacea purpurea"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Asterales
familia = Asteraceae
tribus = Heliantheae
genus = "Echinacea"
species = "E. purpurea"
binomial = "Echinacea purpurea"
binomial_authority = (L.) Moench

"Echinacea purpurea" (Eastern purple coneflower; syn. "Brauneria purpurea" (L.) Britt., "Echinacea purpurea" (L.) Moench var. "arkansana" Steyermark, "Rudbeckia purpurea" L.) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Echinacea.cite web
title = Echinacea purpurea - (L.)Moench.
publisher = Plants For A Future
date = June 2004
url = http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Echinacea+purpurea
accessdate = 2007-06-06 ] Recognizable by its purple cone-shaped flowers, it is native to eastern North America and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwest United States.cite web
title = Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (eastern purple coneflower)
work = PLANTS Profile
publisher = United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
url = http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECPU
accessdate = 2007-06-07 ] and often known as the purple coneflower.

"Echinacea purpurea" is also grown as an ornamental plant, and numerous cultivars have been developed for flower quality and plant form.

Physical characteristics

This perennial flowering plant is 1.2 m tall and 0.5 m wide at maturity. Depending on the climate, it begins to bloom in late May or early July, before losing its flowers in August.Fact|date=June 2007 Its flowers are hermaphroditic, having both male and female organs on each flower. It is pollinated by butterflies and bees. Its habitats include dry open woods, prairies and barrens, as well as cultivated beds. Although the plant prefers loamy or sandy, well-drained soils, it is little affected by the soil's ph. Unable to grow in the shade, Echinacea purpurea thrives in either dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought, once established.

Propagation

Seed germination occurs best with daily temperature fluctuations which help to end the seeds dormancy. Clumps of "Echinacea purpurea" can be divided, or broken into smaller bunches, which is normally done in the spring or autumn.

Predators

Slugs eat this plant.

Medicinal properties

At least one study shows "Echinacea purpurea" has antidepressant properties. [cite web
url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/t6512435001n1418/
title=SpringerLink - Journal Article
publisher=www.springerlink.com
accessdate=2008-03-04
last=
first=]

References

*
* Amira M. K. Abouelella, Yasser E. Shahein, Sameh S. ‎Tawfik,‎ Ahmed M. Zahran. Phytotherapeutic effects of "Echinacea purpurea" in gamma-irradiated mice. [J. Vet. Sci., 8(4): 341-‎‎351‎‏ ‏‎(2007)‎] .‏

External links

* [http://www.heronswood.com/echinacea-culture/ Echinaceas- Their Care and Culture] (Heronswood Nursery)
* [http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Echinacea+purpurea Plants For A Future: "Echinacea purpurea"]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECPU USDA Plants Profile: "Echinacea purpurea"]
* [http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Wildseed/33/33.1.html aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Wildseed]

Further reading

*FE Koen, "The Influence of Echinacea Purpurea On The Hypophyseal-Adrenal System;" Arzneimittel-Forschung 3 (1953): 133-137. 8.