Echinacea purpurea – 10 Seeds

Echinacea purpurea Seeds.
Common Name: Purple coneflower

Echinacea purpurea is an herbaceous perennial up to 120 cm tall by 25 cm wide at maturity. Depending on the climate, it blooms throughout spring to late summer. When in full bloom, Echinacea will attract both butterflies and bees to the garden.

Echinacea purpurea 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.
• Notably, E. purpurea is thought to have immune-boosting effects as well, making it particularly useful for treating viral infections.

Growing Echinacea purpurea

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.