Echinacea pallida – 10 Seeds

Echinacea pallida commonly known as Pale purple coneflower or pale coneflower, is a coarse, hairy perennial with narrow, toothless leaves and large, daisy-like flowers with drooping, pale pinkish-purple petals and spiny, knob-like, coppery-orange center cones. Echinacea species, including Echinacea pallida, have been used medicinally by Native Americans and are known for their potential immune-boosting properties.

Echinacea pallida Medicinal Benefits

• In indigenous medicine of the native American Indians, the plant was used externally for wounds, burns, and insect bites, chewing of roots for toothache and throat infections; internal application was used for  viral infections, pain, cough, stomach cramps, and snake bites.
• Nowadays the plant is important to the pharmaceutical trade, as it is purported that all parts of the purple coneflower stimulate the immune system.
• Several studies suggest that certain varieties of echinacea, including E. pallida, E. angustifolia, and E. purpurea, are particularly effective at fighting viral infections like influenza.

Growing Echinacea pallida

Indoor Sowing: Spring – Cold Stratification and then plant the seeds.

Direct Sowing: Autumn and Winter

• Echinacea Seeds need a cold period or cold stratification, for germination to take place.
• The easiest method is to sow them outdoors in autumn, either in the ground or winter sowing them in pots outdoors. The seeds will then germinate the following Spring.
• If you are going to start seed indoors in Spring, then you must first cold stratify the seeds for 8 to 10 weeks in the refrigerator.
• After the cold stratification period, plant the seeds.
• The plant is fairly drought tolerant once established, but you will need to water your plants throughout the summer if you receive less than an inch of rain each week.
• As native prairie plants, they thrive in hot, dry climates and do not do as well in very humid climates or in rainy areas where the soil stays wet.
• Flower production takes place in the second year of growth..
• Once your plant is at least three years old, you can begin harvesting some of the roots for medicinal purposes.