Reproduction
Echinacea purpurea very much depends on
other organisms to carry out the process of repr
oduction.
The purple coneflower is a perennial plant that has large blooms
in the summertime producing large quantities of nectar.
Different organisms, particularly bees and butterflies, come to
Echinacea purpurea to feed off the nectar. Thus,
the purple coneflower uses this to its advantage. As the
pollinating organisms fly from flower to flower eating the
nectar, they collect the flower’s seeds on their feet, where
they will drop them on the ground. Eventuall
y
these seeds will germinate and form a brand new patch of
Echinacea purpurea. The purple coneflower also has the
ability to self seed and pollinate. After a year of
growth, the seed heads will dry out and disperse all over the
ground. There they can either germinate in that spot where
they landed, or have the wind carry them to a new spot forming
another patch of Echinacea purpurea.
The seeds are produced through an alternation of generations
where the diploid and haploid stages us
e the process of meiosis
and mitosis.
Besides the method of pollination, the purple coneflower has also adapted to produce rhizomes as another
means of reproduction. Rhizomes are a network of large roots
that have the ability to spread underground and become independent
organisms. To learn about another organism that has rhizomes,
St. John's Wort, click
here.
Click here to next read the
interactions this organism has with other organisms.