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General description

Latin name: echinacea purpurea
Botanical family: asteraceae
Origin: North America

The hedgehog plant: a symbol of defence!

This plant, which is a native of North America, was imported into Europe in 1950 by a Swiss researcher. It is cultivated in all temperate countries, and its medicinal properties are now extremely well known. It is both hardy and elegant, and its purple-coloured flowers are reminiscent of daisies. It blooms from July to September, when we can enjoy its beauty and its colours that adorn the fields with bright splashes of colour. Its name comes from its calyx, which is dome-shaped and covered in spiky tufts that resemble the spines of a hedgehog. Echinacea is derived from the Greek ‘Echinos’, which literally means ‘hedgehog’.

An immense source of richness
in such a small plant

Echinacea was used by the North American Indian healers to treat wounds, sore throats, aches and pains, chills and coughs.