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Helenium autumnale

common sneezeweed, fall sneezeweed, hélénie automnale, large-flower sneezeweed, mountain sneezeweed

Habit Perennials, 50–130 cm.
Stems

1(–7), branched distally, strongly winged, sparsely to densely hairy proximally, moderately to densely hairy distally.

Leaves

usually moderately to densely hairy, sometimes glabrous;

basal blades (withered by flowering) lanceolate, oblanceolate, or obovate, entire or weakly lobed;

proximal and mid blades obovate to oblanceolate, usually dentate or entire;

distal blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, entire or dentate.

Peduncles

3–10 cm, moderately to densely hairy.

Involucres

globoid, 8–20 × 8–23 mm.

Ray florets

8–21, pistillate, fertile;

corollas yellow, 10–23 × 4–10 mm.

Disc florets

200–400(–800+);

corollas yellow proximally, yellow to yellow-brown distally, 2.4–4 mm, lobes 5.

Phyllaries

(connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy.

Heads

5–70(–100+) per plant, in paniculiform arrays.

Cypselae

1–2 mm, sparsely to moderately hairy;

pappi of 5–7 entire, aristate scales (0.5–)0.9–1.5(–1.8) mm.

2n

= 32, 34, 36.

Helenium autumnale

Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct(–Nov).
Habitat Roadsides, fields, along streams, ditches, seepage areas, around ponds and lakes
Elevation 20–2600 m (100–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 431.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Gaillardiinae > Helenium
Sibling taxa
H. amarum, H. arizonicum, H. bigelovii, H. bolanderi, H. brevifolium, H. campestre, H. drummondii, H. elegans, H. flexuosum, H. linifolium, H. microcephalum, H. pinnatifidum, H. puberulum, H. quadridentatum, H. thurberi, H. vernale, H. virginicum
Synonyms H. autumnale var. canaliculatum, H. autumnale var. fylesii, H. autumnale var. grandiflorum, H. autumnale var. montanum, H. autumnale var. parviflorum, H. latifolium, H. parviflorum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 886. (1753)
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