Common Name: Purple coneflower
Botanical Name: Echinacea angustifolia/Echinacea
pallida/Echinacea purpurea
General Information: Named for the
prickly spines that make up the center of its flower
(echinos is Greek for hedgehog), purple coneflowers
are an attractive flowering plant that can be easily
grown in the home garden.
Medicinal Uses: Used by Native Americans
(and those who came after) for everything from scarlet
fever to syphilis, echinacea was the original "cure-all."
It is primarily used today to ward off and treat cold
and flu symptoms by boosting the immune system.
