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| ## purple coneflower {#purple-coneflower .Title-Header}               |
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| *Echinacea angustifolia* DC.                                          |
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| Plant Symbol = ECAN2                                                  |
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###### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

##### Alternative Names

Kansas snakeroot, echinacea, snakeroot, narrow-leaved purple coneflower,
scurvy root, comb flower, black susans, and hedge hog

##### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: The purple coneflower, *Echinacea angustifolia*, was and
still is the most widely used medicinal plant of the Plains Indians
(Kindscher 1992). It was used as a painkiller and for a variety of
ailments, including toothache, coughs, colds, sore throats, and snake
bite. *Echinacea angustifolia* was used as an analgesic by the Cheyenne,
the Dakota, the Fox, and the Winnebago (Moerman 1986). Purple coneflower
is used as an antidote for poisonous conditions, snake bite, and other
poisonous bites by the Winnebago, Ponca, Pawnee, Omaha, Dakota, and by
most Montana tribes (Gilmore 1977). The root was used to relieve
toothache by the Dakota, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Teton Sioux, and
Winnebago (Moerman 1986). The Cheyenne chewed the root to stimulate the
flow of saliva, which was especially useful for Sun Dance participants
as a thirst preventative (Hart 1981). A wash was used as a dressing for
burns to relieve pain by the Dakota, Winnebago, Omaha, Pawnee, and
Ponca.

The Fox used purple coneflower as an anti-convulsive and
gastro-intestinal aid. The Kiowa chewed coneflower root for coughs and
sore throats. The Omaha and Pawnee used a smoke treatment as a remedy
for headache. A poultice of smashed roots were applied as an anesthetic
to arms and hands by the Omaha, and a poultice was applied to enlarged
glands as a treatment for diseases such as mumps by the Pawnee, Ponca,
Dakota, and Winnebago. Purple coneflower was used to increase endurance
in the sweat lodge ceremony by the Dakota, Pawnee, Ponca, and Winnebago.
The Lakota ate the root and green fruit when they were thirsty or
perspiring (Rogers 1980, Munson 1981). The Teton Sioux used coneflower
to cure tonsillitis. The Omaha and Ponca used the plant as eyewash. When
the roots were mixed with blazing star *(Mentzelia laevicaulis*) and
boiled, the resulting tea was drunk for smallpox (Kindscher 1992).
Purple coneflower roots mixed with puffball (*Lycoperdon* species)
spores and skunk oil were used in the treatment of boils. The smoke from
burning purple coneflower was used as a treatment for distemper in
horses by the Ponca, Dakota, Pawnee, and
Winnebago.![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6979166666666665in"
height="2.1875in"}

The Omaha, the Lakota, and the Ponca sometimes used the seed heads to
comb their hair (Kindscher 1992). Purple coneflower stalks were used in
play by Pawnee children. They would whirl two flower stalks one around
the other, the two stalk touching by the flower heads.

The purple coneflower was the only native prairie plant popularized as a
medicine by folk practitioners and doctors, and was used extensively as
a folk remedy (Kindscher 1992). The use of the purple coneflower root
was used by early settlers in Oklahoma as an aid in nearly every kind of
sickness. If a cow or a horse did not eat well, people administered
*Echinacea* in its feed.

*Echinacea* is widely used as an herbal remedy today, primarily as an
immuno-stimulant. *Echinacea angustifolia* root was found to possess
mild antibiotic activity against *Streptococcus* and *Staphyloccus
aureus* (Stoll et al. 1950). A pentane-oil extracted from the root was
found to be inhibitory to Walker carcinosarcoma 256 and P-388
lymphocytic leukemia (Voaden and Jacobson 1972). Italian investigators
found the wound-healing effects of *Echinacea* to be attributable to
echinacin B (Bonadea et al. 1971). Perhaps the most important finding so
far is the discovery of large, highly active polysaccharide molecules in
*E. angustifolia* that possess immunostimulatory properties (Wagner and
Proksch 1985, Wagner et al. 1985). Stimulation of the immune system
appears to be strongly influenced by dose level. Recent pharmacological
studies indicate that a 10-mg/kg daily dose of the polysaccharide over a
ten-day period is effective as an immuno-stimulant. Increases in the
daily dosage beyond this level, however, resulted in "markedly decreased
pharmacological activity" (Wagner and Proksch 1985, Wagner et al. 1985).
Other research has shown that the purple coneflower produces an
anti-inflammatory effect and has therapeutic value in urology,
gynecology, internal medicine, and dermatology (Wagner and Proksch
1985).

*Echinacea angustifolia* also contains chemical compounds that are
insecticidal. One such compound is toxic to mosquitoes and houseflies;
another substance, echinolone, disrupts insect development (Hartzell
1947, Jacobson 1954, Voaden and Jacobson 1972). Researchers in the
Horticulture Department of South Dakota State University are currently
attempting to identify the *Echinacea angustifolia* germplasm containing
the highest level of echinolone. It will be used in manufacturing and
insecticide for sunflower crops (Foster 1991).

*Ornamental*: The purple coneflower is often grown simply for its
ornamental value, especially for its showy flowers. The best possibility
for obtaining a new cultivar is in the hybrids between *Echinacea
purpurea* and *Echinacea angustifolia* var. *angustifolia*, whose
progeny are compact, rounded, and bushy plants about two feet in
diameter (M^c^Gregor 1968).

##### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

##### Description

*General*: Sunflower family (Asteraceae). Purple coneflower is a
perennial herb 1.5-6 dm (0.5-2 ft) tall, with a woody taproot. The plant
has one to several rough-hairy stems, mostly unbranched. Leaves are
alternate, simple, and narrowly lance-shaped 5-30 cm (2-12 in) long,
1.5-4 cm (0.5-1.5 in) wide, with entire margins. Flowers look like
lavender sunflowers with the heads 4-7.5 cm wide (1.5-3 in) wide, at the
ends of long stalks. Flowers bloom from June to July. Ray flowers are
2-4 cm (0.75-1.5 in) long, spreading or drooping, light pink to pale
purple. The disk flowers are 5-lobed, brownish-purple, and situated
among stiff bracts. Pollen grains are yellow. Fruits are small, dark,
4-angled achenes.

##### Distribution

The purple coneflower grows in open rocky prairies and plains. It is
found primarily in the Great Plains, east of the Rocky Mountains from
Texas to Montana and Saskatchewan, to eastern Oklahoma, western Iowa,
and western Minnesota. For current distribution, please consult the
Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

##### Establishment

Native *Echinacea* species are dwindling in the wild from loss of
habitat and over-harvesting. *Echinacea angustifolia* is threatened on
one hand by conversion of native habitat, and on the other hand by heavy
harvesting to serve the herbal pharmaceutical industry. It takes three
to four years for roots to reach harvestable size (Foster 1991). Yields
for cultivated, dried roots of three-year-old *Echinacea purpurea* grown
at Trout Lake, Washington, were 131 kg/ha (1,200 lbs/acre) (Foster
1991). According to Richo Cech (1995), a mature two-year old *E.
purpurea* plant yields 2.25 pounds of fresh flowering aerial portions
and 0.5 pounds of fresh root per plant. Yield for the purple coneflower
is not available, but probably would be less because the plant is
smaller.

###### Propagation from Cuttings

Purple coneflower can be propagated by division of the crowns. This
technique results in stronger plants initially and eliminates the
tedious nurturing and tending of the slow-growing seedlings (Kindscher
1992). Harvest roots when plants are dormant, when leaves begin to turn
brown. Wash roots and remove most for use. Then carefully divide the
crown by hand to make one to five "plantlets." Replant the divisions as
soon as possible. It is important that they don't dry out, so if
replanting is delayed a couple of hours, dip the plants briefly in water
and keep them in a sealed plastic bag in a cool, shady place until you
are ready to replant them. When replanting, ensure that the remaining
fine roots are well spread out in the planting hole and the soil is
pressed firmly around the plant. These plantlets can be grown in flats
in the greenhouse during the winter to re-establish their root systems,
then replanted in the field the following spring for another round of
production.

###### Seed Propagation

-   *Echinacea* *angustifolia* has a reputation for poor germination.
    Actually, when the proper steps are take, it has extremely
    dependable germination. The following information is provided by
    Richo Cech (1995).

-   Seeds require a 12-week period of cold conditioning, or cold
    stratification, to germinate.

-   Outdoors, scatter seed thinly on well-limed, weed-free, open beds in
    the fall or early winter, covering the seed with a light sifting of
    potting soil. The seed is thereby subjected to the optimal
    conditions of oscillating temperatures, an extremely important
    pre-germination environment for *Echinacea* seed.

-   An acceptable alternative to outdoor cold conditioning is to mix the
    seeds with damp sand and switch between the refrigerator and freezer
    several times over a period of 12 weeks. This seed may then be sown
    directly in the garden or field. The conditioned seed may also be
    sown in flats and placed in the greenhouse or outside.

-   Another method of cold stratification is to wrap the seeds in wet
    peat moss and place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for
    two to four months. Plant seeds in deep plug trays; this allows the
    taproot to develop straight down to a depth of six or eight inches
    prior to transplanting. Seeds should be barely covered with soil
    when planted.

-   *E. angustifolia* seedlings have a tendency toward transplant shock
    and slow growth, especially if the development of the taproot is
    compromised by keeping seedlings in the flats or plots too long.
    Seedlings have little vigor and must be carefully weeded and
    watered.

-   For field cultivation, close spacing of the plants allows for
    optimal root yield per area planted. Plants may be thinned to 6-12
    inch spacing in the row or bed. Keep relatively free of weeds and
    water occasionally during dry spells. Over-watering should be
    avoided, for the root crowns are subject to rotting. A sparing side
    dressing of organic compost, usually in the mid-spring, will assist
    this sometimes slow-growing herbaceous perennial in outranking
    competitive weeds.

An ounce of well-cleaned *E. angustifolia* seed contains approximately
8,000 seeds. A pound contains around 128,000 seeds. Given a very tight
spacing of six inches between the plants and one foot between the rows,
an acre would contain 87,200 plants. Given a 68% germination rate, a
pound of good seed could produce an acre of plants. This same acre,
dormant harvested for the roots at the end of the second year of growth,
would produce (at ¼ lb. per root) 21,800 lbs of fresh root.

###### Harvesting and Processing the Seed

-   Seed can be harvested during the fall of the second year. Harvest
    the seed in autumn when seeds are ripe, before the fall rains set
    in. Seed should be from the largest and most vital plants.

-   Stop watering when the seeds begin to mature -- excessive watering
    at this stage is not needed and it may damage the seed crop.

-   Snip the coneheads off and put them in buckets. If the seed is still
    a little green, dry the coneheads in the sun.

-   Separate the seed from the chaffy debris. It is important to break
    up the coneheads without damaging the seed. Run the seed through a
    hammermill or compost chopper at low RPM through a one-inch screen.
    Then pass the seed and chaff through a ¼ inch stationary screen.
    Shake the remaining seed and chaff through a screen that is too
    small for the seed to pass. What you have left is the seed with only
    the chaff that is the same size as the seed.

-   Lay out a flannel sheet and pour a cupful of your seed/chaff along
    the edge. Lift the top edge of the sheet and roll the seed to the
    other end where your partner is waiting to carefully funnel the seed
    into a bowl.

-   Make sure the seed is thoroughly dry. Store in plastic bags in a
    cool, dry, and dark place. Plastic bags allow the seed to respire,
    while glass does not. Seed thus stored remains viable for about
    three years.

##### Management

Herbivores such as insects and deer are not a problem with *Echinacea*.
Gophers and moles can be a problem, eating the roots. Goldfinches love
the *Echinacea* seed crop and can clear out all the seed in a few days.

##### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

ECAN2 is readily available from native plant nurseries and seed
companies throughout its range. Contact your local Natural Resources
Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for
more information. Look in the phone book under "United States
Government." The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed
under the subheading "Department of Agriculture."

##### References

Bonadeo, I., G. Bottazzi, & M. Lavazza 1971 *. Echinacin B, an active
polysaccharide from Echinacea.* Revista Italiana Essenze Profumi, Piante
Officinali, Aromi, Saponi, Csmetici, Aerosol 53:281-295.

Cech, R.A. 1995. *Echinacea Native American tonic roots*. A Horizon
Herbs Publication, Williams, Oregon.

Foster, S. 1991. *Echinacea -- nature's immune enhancer*. Healing Arts
Press, Rochester, Vermont.

Gilmore, M. 1977. *Uses of the plants by the Indians of the Missouri
River region*. University of Nebraska Press.

Hart, J.A. 1976. *Montana: Native plants and early peoples*. Montana
Historical Society, Helena, Montana.

Hartmann, H. T., D. E. Kester, & F. T. Davies, Jr. 1990*. Plant
propagation principles and practices*. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
New Jersey. 647 pp.

Hartzell, A. 1947*. Plant products for insecticidal properties and
summary of results to date.* Contributions of the Boyce Thompson
Institute 15:21-34.

Hutchens, A.R. 1991. *Indian herbalogy of North America*. Shambhala,
Boston and London. pp. 113-117.

Isaacson, R. T. 1993. *Anderson horticultural library\'s source list of
plants and seeds*. Anderson Horticultural Library, University of
Minnesota Libraries. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 261 pp.

Jacobson, M. 1954*. Occurrence of a pungent insecticidal principle in
American coneflower roots.* Science 120:125-129.

Kinscher, K. 1992. *Medicinal wild plants of the prairie. An
ethnobotanical guide*. University Press of Kansas. Pp 84-94.

Martin, A.C., H. S. Zim, & A.L. Nelson. 1951 *. American wildlife and
plants. A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, Inc., New
York, New York. 500 pp.

M^c^Gregor, R.L. T.M. Barkley, R.E. Brooks, & E.K. Schofield (eds.)
1991. *Flora of the Great Plains*. University Press of Kansas. 1402 pp.

M^c^Gregor, R.L. 1968. *The taxonomy of the genus Echinacea
(Compositae)*. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 48(4):113-142.

Moerman, D.E. 1986. *Medicinal plants of Native America*. Research
Reports in Ethnobotany, Contribution 2. University of Michigan Museum of
Anthropology. Technical Reports, Number 19. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Pp.
156-158.

Munson, P.J. 1981. *Contributions to Osage and Lakota ethnobotany*.
Plains Anthropology 26:229-240.

Rogers, D.J. 1980. *Lakota names and traditional uses of native plants
by Sicangu (Brule) people in the Rosebud Area, South Dakota*. Rosebud
Educational Society, St. Francis, South Dakota.

Stoll, A., J. Renz, & A. Brack 1950. *Antibacterial substances II.
Isolation and constitution of echinacoside, glycoside from the roots of
Echinacea angustifolia*. Helvetical Chim. Acta 33:1877-93.

USDA, NRCS 2000. *The PLANTS database*. Version: 000322.
\<http://plants.usda.gov\>. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.

USDI, GS 2000. *Native wildflowers of the North Dakota grasslands*.
Version: 000322.
\<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/wildflwr/species/echiangu.htm\>.
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North Dakota.

Voaden, D.J. & M. Jacobson 1972. *Tumor inhibitors 3. Identification and
synthesis of an oncolytic hydrocarbon from American coneflower roots*.
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 15(6):619-623.

Wagner, H. & A. Proksch 1985. *Immunostimulatory drugs of fungi and
higher plants*. IN: (H. Wagner et al. Eds.) Economic and Medicinal Plant
Research. Vol. 1. Academic Press, New York, New York. Pp.113-153

Wagner, H., A. Proksche, I. Riess-Mauere, A. Vollmar, S. Odenthal, H.
Stuppner, K. Jurcie, M. Le Turdu, & J.N. Fang 1985*. Immunstimulierend
wirkende polysaccharide (heteroglykane) aus hoheren pflanzen.*
Arzneimittel-Forschung 35(8):1069-1075.

##### Prepared By

###### Michelle Stevens

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

##### Species Coordinator

###### M. Kat Anderson

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Science Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Revised 05dec00 jsp; 01may03 ahv; 05jun06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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