Purple Coneflower

c.coyle:

love this shot....it's also one of Tennessee's official state flowers. (known here as, of course, "the Tennessee Coneflower")

i love the Tennessee Coneflower...tastes great with a little Tabasco!
hehehehehe

Also known as the the plant that echinacea is derived from.

Also the Perennial Plant Association perennial of the year in 1998 and also a great attractant to butterflies.

Re: Purple Coneflower
Yes, this is the main source of the "...drug" echinacea. Echinacea has been much use in recent years to enforce the immune system to ward off colds and flu. Recent studies have proven that it has no effect on shorting or curing colds or the flu. In fact in high doses it can actually lower the immune system ability to fight diseases.