Pale
Prairie Coneflower Echinacea Pallida
Description:
The pale prairie coneflower is one of the handsomest of the prairie
herbs. It’s a native warm-season perennial growing up to 60 cm tall. It is a
member of the Compositae, or aster family.
Leaf: Pale
purple coneflower has rough, sand-papery leaves that are ovate-lanceolate and three-veined. Both the stem and leaves are
covered with soft hairs.
Flower: In
total diameter each head is about 4 cm. The brownish center is a prickly,
cone-shaped head, hence the name, coneflower. The rays are pinkish and extend
slightly downward. After the rays drop
off the seed head turns a dark brown color.
Blooming months:
June – July
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June 30 |
June 30 |
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Discussion: Native American use of
this plant was extensive ranging from treatments for snakebites to treatments
for hydrophobia. It is palatable to large animals and the deep taproot is eaten
by rodents. Extracts from this plant are still used in modern medicine.
Distribution: This species occurs in
prairies. The range of the pale prairie coneflower is from
Native
or Introduced to
Location:
N41048.677’ W089040.972’
Copyright:
© 2004 Nancy Trainor,
References:
Keller, Carolyn. Prairie Plants of
Ladd, Doug. Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers, The Nature Conservancy, 1995.
Peterson, Roger Tory. Wildflowers Northeastern/North Central
Mohlenbroch, Robert H., and John W. Voigt. Prairie
Plants of
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