Common Names
Purple Echinacea, black Sampson, combflower, hedgehog, purple cone flower, red sunflower.

Description
A perennial that grows to 2 to 5 feet in height. Leaves are alternate, ovate to lanceolate in shape; bases contract abruptly to long, sometimes winged stems; leaf margins are toothed; and uppermost leaves have no stems. Flower heads are purple to white. Plant has thick, acid-tasting black roots.

Flowering Period
June to August.

Habitat
Dry open woods and road banks.

Harvest
Roots in fall.

Uses
U.S. Dispensatory states that this plant reportedly increases the body’s resistance to infection. Tinctures of Echinacea species have been used in corn remedies.