Echinacea angustifolia – 10 Seeds

Echinacea angustifolia Seeds.
Common Name: Narrow Leaf Coneflower

Echinacea angustifolia is also known as Narrow Leaf Coneflower. It is a native meadow perennial found growing in dry prairies and barrens with rocky to sandy-clay soils in central Canada and the USA. It has daisy-like blossoms on a single tall stalk in early summer. It bears copper-orange central cones surrounded by arching, ray petals in light pink and occasionally white.

Echinacea angustifolia 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 angustifolia

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.