Narrow-leaved Coneflower
Echinacea angustifolia
Also known as "Mad Dog Plant" because Plains Indians prized it as a remedy for rabid dog and rattlesnake bites, Narrow-leaved Coneflower is a perennial with rosy-pink flowers and attracts pollinators and was among the plants collected by the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
In 1805 Lewis and Clark sent Jefferson specimens of this plant from Fort Mandan. They referred to it as 'Mad Dog Plant' in their packing list and stated that it is "highly prized by the natives as an efficacious remedy in the cases of the bite of the rattle snake or mad dog." Like its broad-leaved cousin, Purple Coneflower (E. purpurea), which was introduced into Europe by 1699, E. angustifolia is native to the Midwestern United States from Minnesota to Texas. The Latin name, echinos, meaning hedge-hog, refers to the bristly cone of disk florets in the center of the large composite flower.
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Heirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
