Echinacea Pallida

Echinacea Pallida: variety and characteristics

Echinacea Pallida (Echinacea pallida) is a perennial flower of the Daisy family (Asteraceae). Echinacea Pallida is a rarer member of the echinacea family, well known for its medicinal use in boosting the immune system.

The plants are useful, drought-tolerant perennial flowers that thrive in hot sun and medium to humus-rich soil.

With tall, slender stems topped with large daisy-like flowers and drooping purple-pink petals.

Plant in a rock garden or in the garden to attract butterflies.

Echinacea is a perennial medicinal and ornamental plant with pink-purple flower heads, loved by butterflies and bees.

Key features

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 85%
• Seeds per packet: 68–92 pcs (0.4 g)
• Seed origin: Poland
• Sowing: April and May; seedlings
• Flowering: July – September
• Position: sunny spot

When to sow Echinacea Pallida

Echinacea Pallida seeds are sown in April and May. The plants flower from July to September. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Echinacea Pallida

• Sowing method: seedlings
• Depth: 0.2–0.5 cm
• Spacing: 30–40 cm
• Germination: 14–28 days at 15–20 °C
• Position: sunny spot

They have a good germination rate and sprout easily even when sown directly outdoors from April to June. You can also raise seedlings in a tray. Sow the seeds on the surface and press them lightly into the soil. The seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover the seeds, or use only a light sprinkling. The compost should be kept moist but not wet at all times. Germination may begin after only 5 days, but can take up to 20 days. Lift out each seedling when it is big enough to handle and transplant into 7.5 cm pots. Plant out in spring in well-drained soil. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10 to 15 days before planting out. In their natural habitat, the seeds would germinate after a period of cold, so if there is little or no germination, move the seedlings to a cold place: at around 4°C for 2 to 4 weeks. Flowers from June until the first chills in October.

Cold stratification for 3–4 weeks improves germination. Plant in sun; tolerates drought.

Flowering and uses

The roots and flowers are used for tea and tinctures.

Frequently asked questions

When should Echinacea Pallida be sown?

The recommended sowing months are April and May. Sowing method: seedlings.

How many seeds are in the packet?

The packet contains 68–92 seeds, pack size 0.4 g.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 85%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.

Does echinacea flower in the first year?

With early sowing (February) it sometimes flowers in the first summer; full flowering from the second year.