Echinacea purpurea
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| Echinacea purpurea | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Echinacea purpurea (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.[1] Recognizable by its purple cone-shaped flowers, it is native to eastern North America[1] and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwest United States.[2] 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.
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[edit] 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. 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.
[edit] 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. [1]
[edit] Predators
[edit] Medicinal properties
One study shows Echinacea purpurea has antidepressant properties in white rats as it increased the stimulating action of L-DOPA .[3] Echinacea is commonly believed to stimulate the immune system.[4]
[edit] Gallery
 closeup of E. purpura flower centre |
 A stand of Echinacea purpurea |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Echinacea purpurea |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Echinacea purpurea - (L.)Moench.". Plants For A Future. June 2004. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Echinacea+purpurea. Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
- ^ "Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (eastern purple coneflower)". PLANTS Profile. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECPU. Retrieved on 2007-06-07.
- ^ "SpringerLink - Journal Article". www.springerlink.com. http://www.springerlink.com/content/t6512435001n1418/. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
- ^ http://nccam.nih.gov/health/echinacea/ataglance.htm
[edit] Further reading
- 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)].
- Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
- FE Koen, "The Influence of Echinacea Purpurea On The Hypophyseal-Adrenal System;" Arzneimittel-Forschung 3 (1953): 133-137. 8.
[edit] External links
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Wikiversity has bloom time data for Echinacea purpurea on the Bloom Clock |
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