… the coneflower?
Though Native Americans had long known and used various coneflowers. English plant explorers discovered them in the eastern U.S.and sent seeds back to England in 1699. By the 18th century, they were included in the genus Rudbeckia, which is also home to black-eyed Susans, another plant group with flowers featuring central “cones.” Eventually, in 1794, coneflowers were finally placed in their own genus, Echinacea. In 1805, Lewis and Clark sent specimens of narrow-leaf coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, back to President Jefferson.