can anyone share a picture of echineacea seeds (Purple cone

can anyone share a picture of echineacea seeds (Purple cone

Sorry, I didn't see this thread till just now.

This is the "go to" website for getting a look at specific seeds: http://theseedsite.co.uk/profile501.html

If you don't have any luck there, you can d-mail me in about a week and I'll try to get some pics! 8* )

Above link shows the phlox seeds; you have to scroll down a little.

THANKS!

I saw this thread and remember to get you a shot this morning!

Hey, so you don't have to remove a bunch of chaff? Easy Peasy.

Actually, there is quite a bit of chaff on echinacea. When trying to get the seeds from the cone, the chaff can be quite prickly. The seeds are the the little space ship shaped thingys.

http://echinacea.umn.edu/images/achenes.jpg

Thanks, Carolyn. That's what I had assumed, so I didn't bother collecting any. It looked to be too much work for me this year. I would imagine that there's no harm in sowing it with chaff; perhaps a lower germination rate?

I never separate the chaff. I just plant the whole thing and they come up! Actually I rarely even do that, just let them reseed themselves. It is easy peasy like wrightie said! ; )

Sorry I'm not presently at home... I just took a "seeds separated from chaff" photo of echinacea. If you take the dried bits off the old flowerhead, you'll see longer, slender pieces (chaff) and shorter, stubby "corky" looking pieces, which are the seeds.

I just clicked on Carolyn's link, and that's an excellent photo.

Sowing the seeds and chaff together works just fine... as with zinnia seeds, I think it makes it easier to see where you've sown the seed.

I haven't found any easy way to separate the seeds and chaff other than hand-picking the seeds from the pile. Anyone have tips on that?

Critterologist,

I have always picked out what I could and left the rest to Mother Nature. My own feelings are that when the plant drops it's seed, chaff falls too.

Carolyn

When I share seeds, I like to separate chaff when I can... but I don't beat my head against the wall picking out individual seeds from chaff if I can't find a reasonable way to do it. I figure as long as I can see that there's a reasonable number of seeds in the baggie with the chaff, it's OK. But just for storage purposes, if there's an way to get more of the chaff out, that would be my preference.

The echinacea seeds will be a little heavier than some of the chaff, so if you fluff the pile of seeds and chaff around a bit, the seeds will fall toward the bottom... and you can lift the lighter chaff off the top of the pile. That still leaves plenty of chaff with the seeds, but at least you've removed some of it.