Tufted Poppy

Scientific Name: Eschscholzia caespitosa Benth.

Plant Guide

Planting Guidelines

Planting and production information for sanguine purple coneflower is very limited. Therefore, the planting guideline provided in this section will address Echinacea in general unless mentioned otherwise. Seedbed preparation should begin well in advance of planting. Establish a clean weed free seedbed by tillage or herbicides. Note, tillage may increase competition by disturbing the seed bank and require additional herbicide treatments. Prior to planting, the site should be firm and have adequate soil moisture. Avoid fertilization during the first year of establishment unless soil tests indicate severe nutrient deficiencies. Fertilization, particularly nitrogen, encourages competition from warm season, annuals such as crabgrass. Unstratified seed of purple coneflower can be planted in the fall to expose the seed to outdoor conditions to break seed dormancy (Kindscher and Riggs, 2006). Use stratified seed for spring planting. Two methods of stratification described by Smith-Jochum and Albrecht (1987) is to place seed in moist sphagnum peat moss for one month at 320F or presoak seeds in water for 24 hours. Houseal (2008) recommends drilling the seed. Seed should be planted between ¼ and ½ inch deep.

Management

Mowing over the top of the coneflower seedlings or cultivating between rows can reduce weed competition (Wynia and Kaiser, 2009). If a soil test is not available, for stand maintenance apply a complete fertilizer (12-6-6) at a rate of 1 lb per 100 sq. ft. in the spring before new leaves emerge (Davenport, 2014).

Pests and Potential Problems

Echinacea species have a low occurrence of disease. Researchers have observed tent caterpillars eating purple coneflower foliage and damage by root borers. The disease aster yellows has been found on Echinacea species. This disease, spread by the aster leafhopper, causes distorted growth and deformed flowers. To manage it, remove and discard infected plants within the stand (Frett, 2009).

Environmental Concerns

Concerns

Concerns

McGregor (1968) noted that Echinacea species hybridize, so proper isolation should be maintained between species to prevent hybrid seed production.

Control

Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely. Always read label and safety instructions for each control method.

Seeds and Plant Production

Plant Production

Plant Production

Echinacea seed is hand harvested or direct combined in the fall, Use heavy gloves when hand harvesting seedheads, They are very stiff and pointed; thus, alluding to the Greek word “echinos” which means ‘hedgehog’ (Ajilvsi, 2003), Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Tufted Poppy., Check to see if seed separates easily from the head, If they do not, seed are probably immature and require a longer ripening period, Avoid seed that shows signs of damage such as insect bore holes, shriveled caryopsis, or light, unfilled hulls which may reduce seed quality, Wartidiningsih and Geneve (1994) found that E, purpurea seeds harvested at physiological maturity, but not dried, had higher germination rates than seed harvested after desiccation, To check for mature seed, mash the seed with your fingernail and examine the seed for a moist endosperm (Kindscher, 2006), After collecting, store the seeds in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months, Seeds placed in cold storage should remain viable for approximately 5 years (Foster, 1991), When harvesting with a combine, dry the seed and process using an air screen cleaner equipped with 3 to 4 screens (Wynia and Kaiser, 2009), Plant production Spring transplanting preparation should begin in the fall by building beds or ridges, and laying landscape fabric (Cech, 2002), Echinacea growers normally raise seedlings indoors for transplanting to the field in the spring (Li, 1998), This practice yields better results than direct seeding in the field (Smith-Jochum, 1987), Echinacea seeds are sown into flats or trays in late winter and placed in an unheated greenhouse for natural stratification in February, After emergence, transplant tap rooted seedlings in deep pots or conetainers to accommodate the growing taproot (Kindscher and Riggs, 2006), These plants should be ready to transplant by May (Cech, 2002), For greenhouse propagation use stratified seed (Wynia and Kaiser, 2009) As previously noted, storing the seed in moist sphagnum peat moss at 320F for one month or presoaking seed for 24 hrs has shown to improve germination, Sow stratified seed into greenhouse flats and cover with 1/8”of soil two months before the last frost free date (Houseal, 2008), Banga and Ardelean (2008) found sanguine purple coneflower exhibited a good seed germination rate when the temperature setting was 680F, Two to three weeks prior to field planting, move transplants from the greenhouse to a protected area outside to acclimate to climatic conditions, Transplant after danger of frost has passed (Houseal, 2008), Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Currently, no cultivars of sanguine purple coneflower are commercially available, Seed of sanguine purple coneflower is commercially available in limited quantities from seed companies, Seed purchases should be based on the local climate, resistance to local pests, and intended use, Consult with your local land grant university, local extension or local USDA NRCS office for recommendations on adapted cultivars or local sources for use in your area,

Literature Cited

Ajilvsgi, G. 2003. Wildflowers of Texas. Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, TX. Banga D. and M. Ardelean. 2008. Proceedings of the Fifth Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Southeast European Countries, Brno, Czech Republic. pp.85 Birt, D.F., M.P. Widrlechner, C.A. LaLone, L. Wu, J. Bae, A.K.S. Solco, G.A. Kraus, P.A. Murphy, E.S. Wurtele, Q. Leng, S.C. Hebert, W.J. Maury, and J.P. Price. 2008. Echinacea in infection. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 87(2):488S-492S. Cech, R. 2002. Growing at Risk Medicinal Herbs. Williams, Oregon, Horizon Herbs. Davenport, M. 2014. Echinacea. Cooperative Extension Bull. HGIC 1182. Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC. Diggs, G., B. Lipscomb, and R. O’Kennon. 1999. Shinner and Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Inc., Ft. Worth, TX. Flora of North America. Echinacea sanguinea. Vol. 21:pg.89, 92. Accessed online 15 May 2014. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora id=1&taxon id=250066490 Foster, S. 1991. Echinacea: Nature’s Immune Enhancer. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT. Frett, J. 2009. Coneflowers for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Mt. Cuba Center Research Report. Greenville, DE. Hobbs, C. 1989. The Echinacea handbook. Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland OR. Houseal, G. 2008. Native Seed Production Manual. University of Northern Iowa: Tallgrass Prairie Center. Kindscher, K. 1989. Ethnobotany of purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia, Asteraceae) and other Echinacea species. Econ. Bot. 43:498-507. Kindscher, K. 2006. The Biology and Ecology of Echinacea species. From: The Conservation

Status

of Echinacea species. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Kindscher, K. and M. Riggs. 2006. Cultivation of Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea. From: The Conservation Status of Echinacea species. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Li, T.S.C. 1998. Echinacea: Cultivation and

Medicinal

Value. Hort Technology 2:122-129. Mader, E., M. Shepherd, M. Vaughn, S. Black, and G. LeBuhn. 2011. Attracting Native Pollinators. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA. McGregor, R.L. 1968. The Taxonomy of the Genus Echinacea (compositae). The University of Kansas Science Bulletin. Volume XLVIII, No.4 McKeown, K. 1999. A Review of the Taxonomy of the Genus Echinacea. In Perspectives on new crops and new issues. J. Janick (ed.), ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. Reed, P.B., Jr. 1988. National list of plant species that occur in wetlands: national summary. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 88(24). 244 pp. Smith-Jochum, C. and M.L. Albrecht. 1987. Field establishment of three Echinacea species for commercial production. Acta Hort. 208: 115-20. USDA, NRCS. 2013. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 1 July 2013). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. Wartidiningsih, N. and R.L.Geneve. 1994. Seed source and quality influence germination in purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Hort. Sci. 29:1443-1444. Wynia, R. and J. Kaiser. 2009. Plant Guide for purple coneflower [Echinacea pallida (Nutt.) Nutt.]. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kansas Plant Materials Center, Manhattan, KS. Citation Brakie, M. 2014. Plant Guide for Sanguine purple coneflower (Echinacea sanguinea). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, East Texas Plant Materials Center. Nacogdoches, TX, 75964. July, 2014 Edited: For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or

Conservation

District at http://www nrcs.usda.gov/ and visit the PLANTS Web site at http://plants.usda.gov/ or the Plant Materials Program Web site: http://plant-materials nrcs.usda.gov. PLANTS is not responsible for the content or availability of other Web sites.