Coneflower

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A flowering plant belonging to the genus Echinacea, often characterized by its cone-shaped seed heads and used for ornamental purposes and herbal remedies
2. A type of perennial herb that features distinctive daisy-like flowers with raised central cones, commonly utilized in gardens and traditional medicine
3. An ornamental and medicinal plant recognized for its vibrant, petal-like structures surrounding a prominent conical center, popular in landscaping and natural health practices

Etymology: The name is a plain compound: "cone" plus "flower." The "cone" refers to the flower head, which in many species is a raised, cone-shaped central disc, surrounded by drooping petals. The most familiar member of the group is the purple coneflower, a North American prairie plant that has long been used in herbal medicine, and the name describes that domed centre rather than the flower as a whole. The word is therefore a descriptive coinage, with no separate history of its own beyond the two parts it joins. Its meaning is fixed by the plant's shape: a flower recognised by its raised central cone.

Synonyms: echinacea, sneezeweed, rudbeckia, black-eyed Susan, flower