AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS 



27 



ECHINACEA 



Echinacea angustifolia DC. (Fig. 47.) 



Synonym. — Brauneria angustifolia (DC.) Heller. 



Other common names. — Hedgehog-coneflower, pale-purple coneflower, Samp- 

 son-root, niggerhead (in Kansas). 



Habitat and range. — Echinacea is found in scattered patches in rich prairie 

 soil or sandy soil from Alabama to Texas and northwestward, being most abundant 

 in Kansas and Nebraska. 



Description. — This herb grows to a height of from 2 to 3 feet, sending up a 

 rather stout, bristly haired stem bearing thick hairy leaves from 3 to 8 inches long. 

 The flowers, which appear from July to October, vary in color from whitish rose 

 to pale purple. The flower heads are ornamental and consist of ray and disk 

 flowers. The brown fruiting heads, which develop after the flowers, are conical, 

 stiff, and chaffy. The plant has a thick, blackish root. 



Part used. — The root, collected in autumn. In reasonably constant demand. 



Figure 47.— Echinacea {Echinacea angustifolia) 



Figure 4b.— Elecampane {Inula helenium) 



ELECAMPANE 



Inula helenium L. (Fig. 48.) 



Other common names. — Inula, inul, horseheal, elf dock, elfwort, horse elder, 

 scabwort, yellow starwort, velvet dock, wild sunflower. 



Habitat and range. — This herb is found along roadsides and fields and damp 

 pastures from Nova Scotia to North Carolina and westward to Missouri and 

 Minnesota. 



Description. — Elecampane is a rough plant growing from 3 to 6 feet in height 

 and bearing some resemblance to the sunflower. In its first year it produces only 

 root leaves which acquire considerable size, but in the following season the stout, 

 densely hairy stem develops, attaining a height of from 3 to 6 feet. The basal or 

 root leaves are borne on long stems and are from 10 to 20 inches long and 4 to 8 

 inches wide, while the upper leaves are smaller and clasp the stem. From July 

 to September the flower heads are produced, either singly or a few together. 

 These are from 2 to 4 inches broad, consist of a yellow disk and long, narrow, 



