Flower Fest - P for Prairie Coneflower

Also known as the Mexican Hat, the prairie coneflower is a wildflower found almost all over the US. It is a perennial, native to the US, that grows to about 3 feet in height. It is often cultivated along the roadsides as it is drought tolerant and easy to grow. So it wasn't a surprise when I found it on one of my walks last fall. It blooms in summer and lingering blooms can be found through early fall in the foothills.


The flowers of the prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnifera, are long-lasting and are excellent as cut flowers.


Apparently, the Great Plains Indians brewed a tea from the leaves and flowers of this plant. They used a decoction of leaves and stems to treat poison ivy and rattlesnake bites and took an infusion of the plant tops to treat headaches and stomach aches.



This is my entry for the letter P in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is P. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Prairie Coneflower, ratibida columnifera, mexican hat