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Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale L.
Asteraceae (Aster Family)
(updated January 21, 2021)
▲▼ mature flowering plants
▲▼ flowers
▲ some flowers showing seed formation and dispersal (brown heads)
▲ winged stems
Helenium autumnale
L., Common Sneezeweed:
(Bayer Code:
HENAU; US Code HEAU)
·
U.S. native simple perennial with green stems that grows 3-5 feet tall,
with little branching except in upper portions of stem as flowering begins
·
Stems have
leafy wings along their
length
·
Leaves are narrow, lanceolate, with slightly toothed margins
·
Head inflorescences are about 1-1.5 inches in diameter, with 8-21 yellow
ray florets (“petals”); ray flowers have several notches on their tips
·
Several hundred yellow disk flowers in the center form a globe-shaped
structure
·
Flowering from mid-summer through autumn
·
Is poisonous to livestock, if grazed, but usually avoided if other
vegetation is available; sheep are most sensitive to toxicity
·
Prefers wetter soils and is common in riparian areas, wetland margins
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