N RANCHING
atural Resources
Confi rming the Identity of the Popular Prairie Cone Flower
ABOVE: Spring fl owering of yellow prairie conefl ower (Echinacea paradoxa var. paradoxa) dominating the prairie landscape. LEFT: Close-up of yellow prairie conefl ower (Echinacea paradoxa var. paradoxa). Photos provided by Harold Keller.
A
BRIT® SCIENTIST HAS DISCOVERED A SIMPLE METHOD for identifying different species of the popular Echinacea plant.
Echinacea is one of the world’s most popular herbal
remedies, used to treat or prevent cold symptoms such as sore throats and stuffy noses. However, consumers can’t always be sure that preparations labeled Echinacea really are Echinacea. The 11 species and varieties of the plant can be extremely diffi cult to tell apart, especially when not in fl ower. Even with the best of intentions, herbal companies can confuse different species or mix in entirely different plants. Recently published research could help eliminate
this problem and make the identifi cation of individual kinds of Echinacea faster and easier. Botanist Harold W. Keller, research associate with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, discovered that Echinacea ray fl o- rets — the brightly colored petals that droop from the central spiky cone — have uniquely shaped cells that are not found in other plants. Furthermore, each species of Echinacea has slightly
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different versions of these cells, making it possible not only to identify that a plant sample is from Echinacea, but from which species or variety it came. “Consumers want to buy quality controlled prepara-
tions of Echinacea, but it’s sometimes diffi cult for herbal remedy companies to ensure that,” says Keller. “These fi ndings may help consumers have more confi dence in what they’re getting.” Keller’s research was recently published by the
Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Titled “The genus Echinacea (Asteraceae): fl oral, stem, and petiole morphology,” the article describes Keller’s microscopic analysis of the form and structure of the above-ground portions of the plant. For example, the ray fl orets of one kind have pyramid-shaped tiered cells never described before in Echinacea or any other plant. “Consumers have a right to expect that a product
will be what it claims to be,” says Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the non-profi t Ameri- can Botanical Council. “That’s not so easy when what you have is a pile of ground herbs that looks like every
February 2015 The Cattleman 69
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