Echinacea purpurea
Echinacea purpurea
Family: Asteraceae
Herbaceous perennial. Originally native to a wide band stretching
from Michigan south to Louisiana, then west to Texas and Oklahoma, but
currently uncommon in the wild. Widely cultivated. Our strain
was derived from a rare wild collection and has been successfully and profitably
cultivated for years here in the Williams Valley of Southern Oregon.
It has not been intentionally modified or hybridized in any way from the
original source, and therefore contains the rich spectrum of active chemicals
found in the original wild plant. Medical activity as per E.
angustifolia. On a plant-protection note, please consider that
growing and using E. purpurea also takes the strain off wild populations
of E. angustifolia. Cultivation: Sow seed
in the early spring in flats outdoors or in the greenhouse, and transplant
seedlings out to the garden or field in mid-spring (middle of May in our
area). Starting earlier, and transplanting twice into progressively
bigger containers will result in a much better rooted transplant, which
will probably flower in the first year. It is fairly easy to seed
this plant directly in the garden or field. Sow the seed shallowly
in the early to mid-spring. Keep moist. Once the plants are
up, you must stay on top of the weeds, and thin to 1 foot spacing after
the second set of leaves has formed. E. purpurea likes full sun,
plenty of water, and rich, limey soil. This is the species
best suited to varied growing conditions, whether coastal or mountain,
east or west. It is easy to grow, and produces on the average 1/2
pound of fresh root by the dormant period following the second year of
growth. Plant 1 foot apart. Flowers 3 to 4 feet tall.
For more information, see Richo’s publication “Echinacea: Native American
Tonic Roots.”
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