purple coneflower

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• black-samson echinacea
• prairie purple coneflower
• Kansas snakeroot
• black sampson
• black-sampson echinacea
• echinacea
• narrow-leaf echinacea
• narrow-leaf purple-coneflower
• narrow-leaf-coneflower
• Narrowleaf Purple Coneflower

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Brauneria angustifolia
• Echinacea pallida var. angustifolia
• Echinacea angustifolia var. strigosa

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Asterales, it is situated in the family Asteraceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Echinacea and the specific species angustifolia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific distribution across the northern regions of North America. In Western Canada, it can be found growing within the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Moving south into the Northwestern U.S.A., its range extends into the state of Montana. The species is also documented throughout the rugged landscapes of Wyoming. Finally, its geographical presence reaches into the mountainous terrain of Colorado.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Echinacea angustifolia is characterized by its nature as a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years and maintains its presence in the ecosystem through seasonal cycles. As a perennial, the plant develops a robust, deep-seated taproot system that allows it to endure harsh environmental conditions, such as droughts and temperature fluctuations, by storing essential nutrients and energy underground. During the growing season, the plant emerges from its rootstock to produce upright stems topped with distinctive flower heads, which serve as the primary site for reproductive activity. Following successful pollination, the plant produces seeds that are dispersed to facilitate the establishment of new individuals, while the parent plant enters a period of dormancy during the colder months, relying on its perennial root structure to survive until the following spring.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Echinacea angustifolia is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, specifically classified as a forb. It is a terrestrial plant that does not exhibit aquatic or semiaquatic tendencies, nor does it function as an epiphyte. As a self-supporting organism, it lacks any climbing habits, such as liana or vine structures, and remains upright without the need for external support. Furthermore, it is an independent species that does not act as a parasite, maintaining its own biological processes through its herbaceous structure.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Echinacea angustifolia is characterized by its adaptation to the semi-arid prairies and open grasslands of North America, where it utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway to facilitate carbon fixation. As a C3 plant, it relies on the enzyme RuBisCO to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide directly into the Calvin cycle, a process that is highly efficient under the moderate temperatures and moist soil conditions typical of its native growing seasons. To manage the physiological stress of its often dry environment, the plant exhibits significant xerophytic adaptations, including a robust, deep-reaching taproot system designed for efficient water uptake and nutrient storage. This root physiology is crucial for maintaining turgor pressure and supporting the metabolic demands of the aerial biomass. Furthermore, the plant regulates its transpiration rates through stomatal control to balance carbon dioxide intake with water loss, ensuring survival during periods of high evaporative demand. The secondary metabolic processes are also highly active, involving the biosynthesis of complex alkylamides, polysaccharides, and caffeic acid derivatives, which are integrated into its physiological defense mechanisms against herbivory and environmental stressors.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

Reproduction in Echinacea angustifolia is primarily driven by the production of seeds contained within its distinctive cone-shaped flower heads, which undergo a significant range of morphological variation in terms of weight. The seed mass of this species exhibits considerable diversity, with a measured mean seed mass of 0.18485 g. This variability is further evidenced by a wide distribution spectrum, where individual seed masses can be as small as 0.002 g at the minimum and as large as 0.6036 g at the maximum. This range in seed size suggests a complex reproductive strategy that may account for varying levels of nutrient storage and dispersal success within different environmental contexts.

Seed mass max:

0.6036 g

Seed mass mean:

0.18485 g

Seed mass min:

0.002 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Echinacea angustifolia has 4 reported plant parts identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, flower, leaf, stem.

Root

1. Pharmacological research communications
2. Archives of family medicine
3. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
4. Farmaco (Societa chimica italiana : 1989)
5. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Flower

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Leaf

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Stem

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Chemicals

Echinacea angustifolia has 63 reported phytochemicals identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Echinacoside, CHLOROGENIC ACID, Cichoric Acid, Cynarin, caftaric acid.

Echinacoside

1. Dr. Duke
2. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Planta medica
5. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke
2. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Farmaco (Societa chimica italiana : 1989)
5. Natural product communications

Cichoric Acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
3. Planta medica
4. Forschende Komplementarmedizin und klassische Naturheilkunde = Research in complementary and natural classical medicine

Cynarin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
3. Planta medica
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

caftaric acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
3. Farmaco (Societa chimica italiana : 1989)
4. Planta medica

Chicoric acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Farmaco (Societa chimica italiana : 1989)

Cynarine

1. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Farmaco (Societa chimica italiana : 1989)

Flavonoids

1. Pharmaceutical biology
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Glycoproteins

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
2. Zeitschrift fur arztliche Fortbildung

kaempferol

1. Dr. Duke
2. International journal of biological macromolecules

Activities

Echinacea angustifolia has 379 reported activities identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antiaging, Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant.

Antiaging

1. Dr. Duke
2. Archiv der Pharmazie

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Archiv der Pharmazie

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke
2. The American journal of clinical nutrition

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmaceutical biology

Antiviral

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Immunostimulant

1. Dr. Duke
2. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology

(-)-Chronotropic

1. Dr. Duke

(-)-Inotropic

1. Dr. Duke

11B-HSD-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Echinacea angustifolia has 24 reported investigations on conditions identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include infections, upper respiratory tract infections, anti-allergic, antidiabetic, antineoplastic.

Infections

1. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
2. Life sciences

Upper respiratory tract infections

1. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
2. Archives of family medicine

Anti-allergic

1. Archiv der Pharmazie

Antidiabetic

1. Archiv der Pharmazie

Antineoplastic

1. Archiv der Pharmazie

Aphrodisiac

1. Archiv der Pharmazie

Burns

1. Forschende Komplementarmedizin und klassische Naturheilkunde = Research in complementary and natural classical medicine

Cancer

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Common cold

1. Phytochemistry

Coughs

1. Forschende Komplementarmedizin und klassische Naturheilkunde = Research in complementary and natural classical medicine

Preparations

Echinacea angustifolia has 11 reported preparations identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Alcoholic extracts, alcohol extracts, aqueous extract, cosmetic serums, ethanolic liquid extracts.

Alcoholic extracts

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Alcohol extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Aqueous extract

1. Pharmacological research communications

Cosmetic serums

1. Biomolecules

Ethanolic liquid extracts

1. Life sciences

Ethanolic or aqueous extracts

1. Zentralblatt fur Veterinarmedizin. Reihe B. Journal of veterinary medicine. Series B

Extract

1. Arzneimittel-Forschung

Mono-extract

1. Arzneimittel-Forschung

Root extracts

1. Planta medica

Spagyric extract

1. Journal of clinical laboratory analysis