Echinacea atrorubens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Echinacea atrorubens |
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| Genus: |
Echinacea
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| Species: |
atrorubens
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The Topeka purple coneflower (scientific name: Echinacea atrorubens) is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the sunflower family. You can find it growing in North America. Specifically, it lives in the south-central United States. This includes eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and eastern Texas. It likes dry places like prairies and rocky areas. You might see it near limestone or sandstone rocks.
What Does It Look Like?
The Topeka purple coneflower is a plant that comes back every year. It can grow up to about 90 centimeters (3 feet) tall. Its roots are long and shaped like a cone. Sometimes, these roots can even have branches.
Stems and Leaves
The plant's stems and leaves are usually covered in tiny hairs. These hairs are about 1.2 millimeters long. Sometimes, though, a plant might be smooth with no hairs at all. The stems are often light green or tan. They can also have a mottled, or spotted, look.
The leaves at the bottom of the plant have long stems called petioles. These can be up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. The leaf blades often have three or five main veins. They are usually long and narrow, like a spear. They can be 5 to 30 centimeters (2 to 12 inches) long. Their edges are usually smooth and unbroken.
When Does It Flower?
This coneflower blooms in the late spring. The flowering stems, called peduncles, are quite long. They can be 20 to 50 centimeters (8 to 20 inches) long. Each stem usually has only one flower head at its top.
The Flower Head
The flower heads look like cones. Inside the cone, there are small, prickly parts called paleae. These are 9 to 15 millimeters long. Their tips are often red or orange.
The colorful "petals" around the cone are called ray flower corollas. They are usually purple. Sometimes, you might see them in pink or even white. The central part, or "disc," of the flower is shaped like an egg or a cone. It is 25 to 35 millimeters wide and 20 to 40 millimeters tall. The small flowers inside the disc are called disc corollas. They are 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters long. Their tips can be greenish, pink, or purple.
After flowering, the plant produces seeds. These seeds are tan and about 4 to 5 millimeters long. They have tiny bumps on their surface and are smooth.
