Echinacea (pallida)
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Kasten Dumroese Research Plant Physiologist USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station 1221 S. Main St. Moscow, Idaho 83843 (208) 883-2324 kdumroese@fs.fed.us http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/copmc/ |
| Family Scientific Name: | Asteraceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Sunflower Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Echinacea pallida (Nutt.) Nutt. | ||
| Common Name: | Pale purple coneflower | ||
| Species Code: | ECHPAL | ||
| General Distribution: | Pale purple coneflower is found from Ontario south through the Midwestern and Great Plains states to northern Texas, and throughout the southeastern US. It inhabits open rocky prairies and plains. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Stock Type: | 90, 105, and 340 ml (5.5, 6.4, and 21 cu. in, respectively) styrofoam containers | ||
| Time To Grow: | 0 | ||
| Target Specifications: | Firm root plug with multiple leaves. | ||
| Propagule Collection: |
Pale purple coneflower flowers from May to early August. Flowerheads are sunflower-like with strap-shaped ray flowers that are pink to purple, surrounding a tight cluster of deep purple tubular disc flowers. Flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects. Seeds mature from mid July to mid September. Mature fruits are indehiscent, 4-sided achenes that are dark grey to brown, thickened, smooth, and hairless. Seeds are usually 4 to 5 mm (0.15 to 0.19 in) long. |
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| Propagule Processing: |
Seeds are collected when the inflorescence is dry, brown, and bristly. Shattering is usually not a problem, but seeds are subject to bird and animal predation. Insect damage to seeds can also be common. Seeds are stored in paper bags at room temperature until cleaned. Dried flower heads are crushed and rubbed, then run over a screen to separate seeds. Fine material and unfilled and damaged seeds are removedby fanning or by an air column separator. Large collections can be cleaned using a mechanical flail and clipper. Seeds/kg = 246,153 (111,888 seeds/lb). |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Seeds may exhibit physiological dormancy. If so, cold, moist stratification for 28 days at 1 to 2øC (34 to 36øF) may improve germination. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Seedlings were grown within three container volumes (90, 105, and 340 ml) under subirrigation and overhead irrigation treatments. The subirrigation system consisted of three separate, benchtop, plastic trays (1.2 m by 2.4 m by 5 cm) each outfitted with a 375-L tank, pump, and drain tube (Ebb-Flo; Midwest GroMaster Inc., St. Charles, Illinois). The overhead irrigation system was a traveling boom moving at 5 cm per second; nozzles (110ø flat spray tip) were spaced at 0.26 m and were 0.77 m above the container. Seeds were sown in late May 2005 and grown for 93 days. Six containers of each size were filled with a 1:1 (v:v) Sphagnum peat moss and vermiculite medium (Phillips Soil Products, Molalla, Oregon) amended with Apex 14N-6P- 11.6K controlled-release fertilizer with a 3 to 4 monoth release rate; JR Simplot Company, Boise, Idaho) at 3.17 kg per cu. m. Seeds were sown and media brought to field capacity and weighed. Containers were overhead irrigated at 85% saturated block weight. |
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| Other Comments: |
Subirrigated coneflowers showed increased seedling quality with more biomass (14%), better nitrogen use efficiency (13%), greater nitrogen content (11%), more height (15%), and lower mortality compared with overhead-irrigated seedlings. Plants also showed increasing height, biomass, and N content with increasing container volume. All plants had intact plugs after 90 days of production. Overhead irrigated coneflowers had more leachate compared with subirrigated seedlings, which produced none. Leachate electrical conductivity and N were monitored throughout the growing season and decreased at similar rates, whereas subirrigation effluent levels remained constant. Subirrigation offers a viable alternative to traditional overhead irrigation systems by producing this native plant with equal or better quality without discharging potentially harmful leachate into the environment. Between crops, containers should be sterilized. We soak styrofoam containers in hot water (75 to 85øC [167 to 185øF]) for at least 1 minute to remove pathogens. |
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| References: |
Pinto JR, Chandler R, Dumroese RK. 2008. Growth, nitrogen use efficiency, and leachate comparison of subirrigated and overhead irrigated pale purple coneflower seedlings. HortScience 48: 897-901. Dumroese RK, James RL, Wenny DL. 2002. Hot water and copper coatings in reused containers decrease inoculum of Fusarium and Cylindrocarpon and increase Douglas-fir seedling growth. HortScience 37:943-947. |
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Citation:
Pinto, Jeremiah R.; Chandler, Rhiannon; Dumroese, Kasten. 2009. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Echinacea pallida (Nutt.) Nutt. plants 90, 105, and 340 ml (5.5, 6.4, and 21 cu. in, respectively) styrofoam containers; USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station Moscow, Idaho. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
