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The genus Echinacea was then formally described by Linnaeus in 1753, and this specimen as one of five species of Rudbeckia, Rudbeckia purpurea. The first Echinacea species were discovered by European explorers in forests of southeastern North america during the 18th century. The common name "cone flower" comes from the characteristic center "cone" at the center of the flower head. Plants are generally long lived, with distinctive flowers. Like all members of the sunflower family, the flowering structure is a composite inflorescence, with rose-colored (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head – "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. The pappi are persistent and variously crown-shaped with 0 to 4 or more prominent teeth. The three or four-angled fruits ( cypselae), are tan or bicolored with a dark brown band distally. The pollen is normally yellow in most species, but usually white in E. The corollas are pinkish, greenish, reddish-purple or yellow and have tubes shorter than the throats. The flower heads have typically 200–300 fertile, bisexual disc florets but some have more. The abaxial faces of the laminae are glabrous or moderately hairy. The tubes of the corolla are hairless or sparsely hairy, and the laminae are spreading, reflexed, or drooping in habit and linear to elliptic or obovate in shape. The ray florets number 8–21 and the corollas are dark purple to pale pink, white, or yellow.
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The paleae bases partially surrounding the cypselae, and are keeled with the apices abruptly constricted to awn-like tips. The paleae ( chaffs on the receptacles of many Asteraceae) have orange to reddish purple ends, and are longer than the disc corollas. The receptacles are hemispheric to conic. The phyllaries are produced in a 2–4 series. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15–50. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12–40 mm wide. The flowers are collected together into single rounded heads at the ends of long peduncles. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Some species have linear to lanceolate leaves, and others have elliptic- to ovate-shaped leaves often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three or five nerves. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1–4 rings of cells) but sometimes they lack hairs. Both the basal and cauline (stem) leaves are arranged alternately. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. purpurea, which grows from a short caudex with fibrous roots. Although commonly sold as a dietary supplement, there is insufficient scientific evidence that Echinacea products are effective or safe for improving health or treating any disease.Įchinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to 140 cm or 4 feet, in height. laevigata, are listed in the United States as endangered species.Įchinacea purpurea is used in traditional medicine. Some species are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. These flowering plants and their parts have different uses.
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The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος ( ekhinos), meaning " sea urchin", due to the spiny central disk. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming in summer. They are found only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. Genus of flowering plants in the daisy family AsteraceaeĮchinacea / ˌ ɛ k ɪ ˈ n eɪ ʃ i ə/ is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family.