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First Year Echinacea from Seed Looks Like a Weed

11 years ago

Hi,

I planted some Echinacea seeds I bought at the store, and up came some plants right where I planted them, but the plants look like weeds, not like the other Echi's I already have growing. After the weedlike plants came up, some echi-like leaves popped out of the ground about an inch away from the weed shaft! I am hoping the weedlike thing is really a first-year Echi, and the leaves at the bottom are Echi leaves that will grow into a normal Echi plant.

It is supposed to be a Purple Coneflower, btw.

Any clues welcome !!!

Thanks

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Comments (8)

SeedyGuy
Original Author
11 years ago
I should add that the "weed" looking plants are just one stalk, about 3 or 4 feet tall, with lots of thin spear shaped leaves coming out horizontally.
fatamorgana2121
11 years ago
Please share a picture. It will help us immensely to answer!

FataMorgana
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SeedyGuy
Original Author
11 years ago
OK, thanks for responding! Here are some pics. I know it looks like 3 big weeds, but they are growing right where I planted the echinacea seeds. There are 2 echinacea plants at the base of 2 of the weeds. Each echi plant pops out about 1 inch away from the "weed", so it seems like the weed is the feeder plant, and the echinaceas are propagating from the roots of the feeder plant (weed).

In other words, it seems like the echinacea seed grows into the weed-like plant, but sends of real echinacea roots which grow into real echinacea. Or else, it is just a coincidence that weeds grew up right next to my echinacea seeds !!
SeedyGuy
Original Author
11 years ago
Another pic.
SeedyGuy
Original Author
11 years ago
And one last pic, which is of some of my regular echinaceas.
lisanti07028
11 years ago
That's horseweed, or mare's tail.
SeedyGuy
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks. So it's a weed, eh? Well I guess I'll pull them out. Strange coincidence about the weeds growing right next to the echinaceas. Oh well.

Thanks again.
kaliaman
11 years ago
your 'regular' echinacea is the species known colloquially as purple coneflower.

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