BIOLOGICAL PAPERS. 209 



ECHINACEA ROOTS. 



By L. E, Sayee, University of Kansas, Lawrence. 

 Read before the Academy, at Manhattan, November 27, 1903. 



SOME few years ago a report was made to this Academy under the 

 head of "Kansas Medicinal Plants," which referred to echinacea 

 root. It was then stated that large quantities of it were gathered in 

 diiferent parts of the state of Kansas and in some other sections of 

 the Western country. Reference was also made to the growing im- 

 portance of this root as a medicinal drug. This report, as far as we 

 know, was never published in the proceedings. At this time we will 

 review in brief what was said at that time, and will give a report 

 which relates to the further developments in connection with the 

 commercial aspect of the Echinacea and will incorporate some results 

 of chemical examination. 



We have in the state of Kansas two species of echinacea root. 

 One is known as Echinacea purpurea and the other Echinacea an- 

 gustifolia. 



1. Echinacea purpurea. Leaves rough, ofter serrate; the lowest 

 ovate, five-nerved, veiny, long-petioled ; the others ovate-lanceolate ; 

 the involucre imbricated in three to five rows ; stem smooth or in one 

 form rough-bristly, as well as the leaves. Rays fifteen to twenty, dull 

 purple (rarely whitish), one to two inches long or more. Root 

 thick, black, very pungent to the taste. 



2. Echinacea angustifolia. Leaves, as well as the simple slender 

 stem, bristly-hairy, lanceolate and linear-lanceolate, alternate at the 

 base, three-nerved, entire ; involucre less imbricated and heads often 

 smaller ; rays twelve to fiteen, two inches long, rose color or red. 



The root of the angiistifolia species is the one which is in de- 

 mand as a medicinal drug, although it is a question whether ihQ pur- 

 purea does not have similar properties. Judging from its gross 

 characteristics, one would suppose that the latter had similar medic- 

 inal action to the former, 



The common names of the plant in the state are : Nigger-head, 

 hedgehog, cone-flower, and black susans. One of these appellations, 

 the "hedgehog," as also the botanical name, ^^ Echinacea" (echinos, 

 spiny), are derived from the physical features of the plant, the fruit- 

 ing head being spiny. 



Echinacea root, when dry, has a brownish-black color, longitudinally 

 wrinkled and twisted, the epidermis frequently shrunken. In cross- 

 section, the wood wedges are seen to be of a gray color, and the inter- 

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