Herb Plants Found Naturally in the Wild

Purple Coneflower

• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is an herbaceous perennial that can grow to a height of 3 feet and have a similar spread. The 3-inch wide, daisy-like purple flowers have a brownish-purple cone-shaped center. This native North American herb was originally part of the prairies of Georgia, Louisiana, Iowa and Ohio. Native Americans used purple coneflower to treat everything from colds to snakebites. The medicinal herb is still used to treat maladies such as arthritis, colds and ear infections. It is still found in the wild. Purple coneflower dies back to the ground in winter, but comes back to life every spring. It performs best in full sun, but tolerates some shade. Once established, purple coneflower is drought tolerant.

Goldenseal

• Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is also known as eyebalm, eyeroot, Indian paint, Indian dye, Indian tumeric, jaundice root, ground raspberry, yellow puccoon and yellowroot. Growing to a height of 1 foot, each hairy stem produces branches that hold one 6- to 8-inch-wide leaf and one greenish-white bloom. Plants bloom in April or May. Flowers give way to bright red, edible berries that resemble raspberries, but have a bittersweet taste. The rootstock is bright yellow. Goldenseal is native to forested areas throughout the United States. This drought tolerant herb prefers shade. While it is becoming scarce in the wild, goldenseal is cultivated in many locations.

St. Johnswort

• St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, is an herbaceous perennial that can grow to heights ranging from 2 to 3 feet and bushes out to widths of 2 feet. It thrives in full sun and partial shade. St. Johnswort is used to treat a number of conditions including anxiety, depression, burns and sleep disorders. This short-lived, semi-woody plant was introduced to the American wild when it was brought over from Africa, Asia and Europe. Animals, winds and water runoff carried the seeds far and wide. The herb became a nuisance weed in the wild and was brought under control through the introduction of Australian beetles that feed on it and the use of herbicides. It produces numerous 1-inch-wide, star-shaped, bright yellow blooms that have five black dots on them in the summer and autumn.