One of our best-known flowering perennials is Echinacea purpurea, which is native to open woodlands and prairies from Georgia to Oklahoma, as far north as Michigan and south to Louisiana. It is easily grown from seed and thrives in full sun or light shade. It can tolerate many different conditions, including drought, as it has a long tap root that pushes deep down in the ground seeking moisture.
Native Americans used it for many different medicinal purposes, including treatment of snakebite, burns, sores, flu, and toothache. Modern research has confirmed the various uses, particularly its usefulness in treating allergies and viral infections.
It flowers well from mid-summer to early fall and combines well with most other flowering perennials. The flowers are up to six inches wide and have a dark brown cone at the center. There are a dozen or so single petals, usually pink, surrounding the cone, though new varieties have a variety of petal colors, including mauve, white, and yellow. The petals curl and dry on the flower, instead of falling off as the flowers age.
Seeds were first taken to England as early as 1690.
This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on our native coneflower.
