The 18th century German botanist, Conrad Moench, named the genus Echinacea, which comes from the Greek echinos, meaning hedgehog, referring to the spiny, round seedhead which reminded him of a hedgehog or sea urchin.

It takes three to four years for the roots to reach harvestable size, although the flowerheads are harvested yearly. There have been concerns over the years of overharvesting, leading many areas to declare the wild plant a protected species and forcing the development of cultivated areas for commercial purposes. It is found primarily in dry upland prairie regions, often in rocky areas of the Great Plains, east of the Rocky Mountains from Saskatchewan to Texas. The central “cone” of the flower is prominent and distinctive.

tennensiensis.Įchinacea is a perennial, growing up to twenty inches in height, producing large, beautiful, daisylike purple flowers and leaves covered in coarse hair. purpurea has been studied the most and is the easiest to cultivate. There are nine species of echinacea, four of which are used medicinally. Native to the plains of North America, echinacea does not grow wild anywhere else in the world, but is widely cultivated, especially in Europe and the US. Those allergic to daisies or other wildflowers may also react similarily to this herb.High doses can occasionally cause nausea and dizziness.Purple Coneflower, Black Sampson, Niggerhead, Rudbeckia, Sampson Root, Hedgehog, Red Sunflower, Snakeroot, Kansas Snakeroot, Narrow-leaved Purple Coneflower, Scurvy Root, Indian Head, Comb Flower, Black Susans.

Purple coneflower uses