Echinacea, a medicinal plant whose homeland is the United States, was used in traditional medicine only in the 20th century. Up to this point, it was used by healers and healers in traditional medicine. Today we take a closer look at Echinacea, consider the most popular plant species and talk about the differences.
Echinacea angustifolia
The species differs from its congeners by narrower, entire leaves. Plant height - up to 1 m, the stems can be both straight and slightly branched. Rosette leaves have 5 prominent protruding veins on the underside, long petioles. Stem leaves are alternate, longer at the beginning of the stem and decrease towards the apex; they have 3 distinctly noticeable veins.
For medical use, the buds are harvested in mid-late summer, and the roots are harvested in late autumn.
Did you know? Echinacea extracts inhibit the growth and reproduction of streptococcus, Escherichia coli, influenza viruses, herpes.
Echinacea purpurea
Echinacea purpurea has the following description: perennial, which is characterized by a height of from 60 to 100 cm; roots are short and thin; the stems are reddish, naked or hard-crested; leaves - rough, hard. Leaf plates reach a length of 7-20 cm, in shape - longish-ovoid.
The buds are represented by single baskets with a diameter of about 12 cm, which are located on long peduncles. Petals are colored magenta or dirty magenta.
Echinacea will be pleasing to the eye in your garden in combination with anemone, aquilegia, astilba, bells, clematis, delphinium, asters, roses, peonies, tulips, nartsys, host, medunitsya, brunneroy.
Purple Echinacea bloom begins in June and ends in September. The fruit ripens in September and October. The flower is distributed in the prairies and on the sandy banks of rivers in the eastern United States. In medicine, used inflorescences and roots of a herbaceous plant.
Echinacea is pale
Important! The aboveground part of the plant and the roots contain essential oils that can cause an allergic reaction.
Like the previous species, pale Echinacea grows in the United States. Wild variations have chosen stony prairies with light, slightly alkaline soils.
Flower height - 1.2 m, shoots - upright or slightly branched. Leaves - alternate. In the lower part of the plant - petiole, then - sessile, elongated, with 3-5 visible veins.
Inflorescences are standardly represented by baskets on a thin stem. The diameter of the buds - 10 cm. Color - pink. The receptacle is convex, has a reddish-brown color.
The rhizome, unlike the previous species, is fleshy and pivotal.
The flower is used not only for medicinal purposes, but also for making bouquets. Cut flowers are long and have a spectacular view.
Important! The plant can withstand temperatures down to -39 ˚C.
Echinacea paradoxical (strange)
The flower has a yellow color of buds. It is worth noting that this is the only species that has a similar color basket.
Has a height of 80 cm, the leaves are painted in dark green. Flower baskets feature curved petals that visually make the bud smaller. The receptacle is convex, colored in dark brown.
The perennials also include: lupine, stems, tricyrtis, rudbeckia, stock-rose, irises, daylilies, yarrow, phlox, Pansies, periwinkle, gentian, and sausage.
It is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant. Used to create tandems with other flowers that produce buds at the end of summer.
Echinacea Tennessee
The name of the flower was due to the fact that its natural area of growth - the state of Tennessee.
Did you know? Infusions and preparations based on echinacea have hemostatic and antidepressant effects.
It has a height of 75 cm. The leaves are dark green, lanceolate. Shoots straighter or slightly branched.
The form differs in that it has a small number of petals in the bud. All the petals are at the same distance from each other, because of which the basket from a distance resembles the sun with pink rays and a dark middle.
Did you know? At one time, the Tennessee Echinacea was attributed to endangered species in the United States, but after a few years the flower was removed from the list.We introduced you to the most popular types of echinacea, which are used both for gardening flower beds and creating bouquets, and for treating many diseases.
