Echinacea purpurea
The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) belongs to the daisy family (Asteraceae). The name Echinacea means "sea urchin" in ancient Greek and describes the sea urchin-like appearance of the typical tubular flowers with their spiny-tipped bracts.
The purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea ) is native to North America . Its natural habitat is primarily in the central and eastern prairie and grassland regions of the USA, and also in parts of southern Canada.
Echinacea has long been known as a medicinal plant. Echinacea is used both to support respiratory and urinary tract infections and externally for slow-healing wounds. The red coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is particularly used for this purpose. For the purple coneflower, the pressed juice of the above-ground parts of the plant ( Echinaceae purpureae herba ) is used.
