Coneflower Flower Symbolism Facts & Meaning: Zodiac, Superstitions, Dreams, and Legends
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Coneflower Flower Facts
The group of herbaceous flowering plants, the Coneflowers, are scientifically recognized as Echinacea. They belong to the Daisy family and native to Eastern and Central North America. They are perennial plants that can survive from 5 to 6 years in the wild and fare well in moist to dry environments as well as open wooded areas. Due to their prominent spiny central cone that is actually made up of tiny dark brown to brown-orange florets, they earned the generic name Echinacea which is derived from the Greek word ‘ekhinos’ that actually translates to ‘sea urchin’ or ‘hedgehog’. Unfortunately, the Tennessee Coneflower and the Yellow Coneflower are among the endangered species due to the loss of their native habitat as well as over-collecting from the wild.
Here are some facts about Echinacea, most widely known as Coneflower:
⚫ Coneflowers produce and secrete chemicals that prevent the growth of competing plants. This phenomenon is known as “allelopathy.”
⚫ Coneflowers are initially odorless. When its ray florets orient themselves downward, the plant starts to emit a honey-like scent that attracts pollinators such as bees or butterflies, and after successful pollination, Coneflowers produce a sweet, vanilla-like scent.
⚫ Coneflowers are grassland or prairie plants that have traditionally thrived best when their habitat is subjected to heavy grazing by animals or periodic burning from lightning-sparked fires.
⚫ There are more than 200 medicines that are derived just from the purple Coneflower extract.
⚫ The flower is also used to treat distemper in horses.
⚫ The only major pest that the purple Coneflower has difficulty with is the Japanese beetle.
⚫ The Coneflower is known to be ‘deer resistant’ due to its spiny cone.
⚫ This flower was named the ‘thirst plant’ where the roots can be consumed when water is scarce for it can help reduce a person’s thirst.
⚫ The Coneflower produces a fruit that is a single-seeded cypsela which is dry with three to four edges.
⚫ The purple Coneflower was marketed as an herbal medicine for blood purification.
⚫ Coneflowers are known to be drought-tolerant as they are low maintenance and grow easily in the wild.
⚫ Coneflowers can grow both under the sun and in partial shade.
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Coneflower Flower Uses
The Coneflower has a great number of uses. You can make use of its intense healing power through teas, supplements, creams, and even mouthwashes.
Moreover, taking a Coneflower herbal bath is excellent if you have a cold or simply just for relaxation, plus, it does wonders for the skin as the benefits can be transmitted transdermally. Your skin is the largest organ after all and can absorb all the nutrients that the Coneflower has to offer. Not only does it boost your immune system but it is rich in antioxidants which is excellent for the overall quality of your skin.
It can also be used to treat burns, wounds, insect bites, as well as snakebites. It is useful as a detoxicant, or something to stimulate the immune system, and to support lymphatic, circulatory, and respiratory health, making it a component of Ayurvedic medicine. The medicinal benefits just keep on going. No wonder it is called the “miracle flower,” and it definitely does justice to its name!
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Coneflower Flower History
Native Americans treasure Coneflowers for their medicinal uses and when the European colonizers arrived, they saw how useful the plants were to them so they took the flowers back to Europe.
By the 18th century, they were included in the genus Rudbeckia, which is also home to the Black-Eyed Susan flowers – another plant group with flowers featuring central cones. Eventually, The Swedish botanist named Carolus Linnaeus, or simply Carl Linnaeus classified them into the Echinacea genus in the mid-18th century.
Over time, and with the advent of scientific advances in DNA testing, the Echinacea genus was determined to comprise nine or ten species and at present, these flowers are what we now call, “Coneflowers.”
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Coneflower Flower Positive Symbolism
Due to the flowers’ long association with healing and medicinal uses, Coneflowers are often recognized as a symbol of health, wellness, strength, and healing. Coneflowers are great as a get-well gift to brighten up someone’s day when they’re ill and on the mend or to celebrate one’s strength, especially since the flower indicates, “I hope you feel better” to the person it was given to.
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Coneflower Flower Negative Symbolism
The Coneflower is so famous for being a medicinal flower that it earned the title, “miracle flower,” with this, it is almost impossible for it to have any negative meaning at all. Having said that, it is sometimes believed that some dreams about Coneflowers are actually bad omens. Some of these dreams carry negative symbolism, one great example is if you’ve dreamt of a withering Coneflower since this could mean that a fight is bound to happen before a new journey of yours begins.
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Coneflower Flower Cultural Symbolism
Although it is deer and drought-resistant, Coneflower attracts pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and birds like goldfinches love to feed on its seeds. At present, the Coneflower is recognized as one of the two “official wildflowers” in the state of Tennessee while in Estonia, blue Coneflowers have been their national flower since 1969 because, to them, this flower symbolizes daily bread.
For Native Americans, Coneflower is considered as a “miracle flower” that can withstand intense heat and is used as a medicine. It is known to withstand intense heat so men would coat their mouths with macerated Coneflower root and hold hot coals in their mouths as a magical and compelling display.
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Coneflower Flower Zodiac Sign
The Echinacea flower, most commonly known as Coneflower, is widely connected to the Pisces Zodiac Sign, together with other plants such as the Watercress or the Water Lily. It is believed that Pisces plants often grow near water to promote health, awareness, and positivity. With its fame for its medicinal purposes, the Coneflower truly fits.
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Coneflower Flower in Dreams
Dreaming of Coneflowers carries different meanings depending on what you dreamt of. It can either give you valuable insight into your life or reveal some deeply-rooted subconscious desires. Here are some situations on dreaming of the flower with its corresponding meanings:
⚫ Beautiful Coneflower – this indicates negative emotions and feelings.
⚫ Lush Coneflower – this shows your ability to offer love to others.
⚫ Coneflower in Bloom – you may be feeling like your space is being invaded energetically, physically, or psychically.
⚫ Small Coneflower – it may mean that something about your relationship is not out in the open.
⚫ Many Coneflowers – this may indicate that there are some obstacles that are preventing you from achieving your goals in life.
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Coneflower Flower Omens and Superstitions
There are superstitions saying that carrying a Coneflower will provide you with inner strength and can serve as a protective ward. Moreover, if you include it in any spell or charm it will definitely increase its effectiveness. It is also believed that if you grow Coneflowers around your house or brought them into your home and placed it in a vase, the flowers will help draw prosperity into your home and protect your family from suffering with poverty.
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Coneflower Flower Mythology and Folklore
The Coneflower, especially the purple ones are known to be wildflowers that are native to North America and to many American-Indian tribes. However, people from the Western tribes, such as the Ute, associate the flower with elks and believe that wounded elks seek Coneflowers and are able to recuperate after consuming them, therefore, calling it, “elk root”. This belief led to its use for traditional healing as an herb to treat swelling, and burns, and to ease the pain. It is not only used by the Uke tribe but by the other tribes as well, particularly those living in the Great Plains and the Midwest.
The Coneflower has also been used in a peculiar way for rituals during the sweat-lodge ceremonies and the Sundance where they chew the flower for it is considered one of the sacred “Life Medicines” of the Navajo tribe. Moreover, some Native Indian tribes of the American Plains also use the flower as a form of offering to spirits and even gods or goddesses.
