Wavy leaf purple coneflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wavy leaf purple coneflower |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Echinacea
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| Species: |
simulata
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Echinacea simulata, also known as pale purple coneflower or wavy leaf purple coneflower, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the sunflower family. This plant grows naturally in the east-central United States. You can find it in states like Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also says it grows in North Carolina and Virginia.
The wavy leaf purple coneflower does not grow in many places. Scientists are still finding out exactly where it lives. It prefers dry, open areas with lots of lime in the soil. These places include open woodlands and areas called barrens, which are often dry and rocky.
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What Does the Pale Purple Coneflower Look Like?
This plant blooms from late spring to the middle of summer. It looks a lot like another plant called Echinacea pallida. However, these two plants have a different number of chromosomes. The easiest way to tell E. simulata apart is by its yellow pollen. More study is needed to find other differences between them.
Size and Stems of the Coneflower
Echinacea simulata grows to be about 50 to 100 centimeters tall. This is about 20 to 40 inches. It grows from a thick, branched spindle-shaped taproot. The leaves and stems have hairs that can be sparse or thick. The stems are usually green, but some may have purple spots.
Leaves of the Wavy Leaf Purple Coneflower
The leaves at the bottom of the plant have long stems called petioles. These can be 4 to 20 centimeters long. The leaf blades are 5 to 40 centimeters long and 0.5 to 4 centimeters wide. They are usually linear to lance-shaped. Some leaves have one main vein, while others have three or five. The edges of the leaves are smooth and often have small hairs.
Flowers and Seeds of the Coneflower
Usually, a single flower head grows on a long stalk. This stalk can be 20 to 40 centimeters long. The small leaves, called bracts, found below the flower head are lance-shaped or oval. They are 7 to 15 millimeters wide. The flowers have pale parts that are 10 to 14 millimeters long. These parts have pink or purple tips and are sharp.
The long, thin petals, called ray corollas, are usually soft rose or pink. Sometimes, they can be off-white. These petals hang down and are 40 to 90 millimeters long. They are usually smooth or have a few hairs on the underside. The center of the flower head is shaped like a cone or half a sphere. It is 20 to 30 millimeters wide and tall. The small flowers in the center, called disc corollas, are 5 to 6.5 millimeters long. Their tips are pink or purplish.
The plant produces seeds in dry fruits called cypselae. These fruits are tan, 3 to 4.5 millimeters long, and smooth. Each fruit usually holds one rounded, gray-tan seed.
Images for kids
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Fruits of Echinacea simulata
