Echinacea is native to the United States and southern Canada. It is also called Purple Coneflower, Coneflower and American coneflower. It is also called Snake root because it grows from a thick black root that Indians used to treat snake bites.

 

Echinacea resembles black-eyed Susan, growing from 50 to 90 cm tall.

 

Echinacea have large showy flowers. They are pink or pink-purple or white, with one species even yellow. It has a taproot or short compact rhizomes. Stems and foliage are usually stiffly hairy giving the plants raspy sandpaper like feel when rubbed. They have elongate-turbinate roots that are sometimes branched. The stems and foliage are usually hairy with ascending hairs 1.2 mm long, rarely some plants are glabrous. Stems light green or tan mottled in color. The basal leaves have petioles 0–12(–20) cm long and leaf blades typically 3 or 5-nerved, usually linear or lanceolate, rarely ovate, 5–30 cm long and 0.5–3 cm wide.

 

The flowering stems or peduncles are 20–50 cm long ending with one flower head typically. The flowering "cones" have petals 9–15 mm long, with the ends red to orange-tipped, usually straight, and prickly-pointed.

 

Echinacea plants are drought tolerant. Flowering occurs in late spring. They need full sun or light shade in hotter climates. It can grow in fairly poor and dry soil. It generally grow in dry areas like grasslands and stony out-cropping and in open forested areas. These plants are great for the perennial border, blooming early to late summer. The parts used are Root, dried; also liquid extract and juice.

 

Herbalists consider Echinacea one of the best blood purifiers and an effective antibiotic. It activates the body's immune system increasing the chances of fighting off any disease. Echinacea has traditionally been used to treat or prevent colds, flu, and other infections.

Less commonly, Echinacea has been used for wounds and skin problems, such as acne or boils.

 

Did you know?

·         The genus name is from the Greek echino, meaning "spiny", due to the spiny central disk.

·        It was discovered by Europeans, who have used it extensively since the 1930s.