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Helenium autumnale

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

Arizona sneezeweed

Habit Perennials, 50–130 cm. Annuals, 30–70 cm.
Stems

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

usually 1, sparingly branched distally, weakly winged, glabrous or sparsely hairy.

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.

glabrous or sparsely hairy;

blades all lance-linear, entire or coarsely toothed.

Peduncles

3–10 cm, moderately to densely hairy.

4–13 cm, glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy.

Involucres

globoid, 8–20 × 8–23 mm.

globoid to ovoid, 11–16 × 14–20 mm.

Ray florets

8–21, pistillate, fertile;

corollas yellow, 10–23 × 4–10 mm.

12–18, pistillate, fertile;

corollas usually yellow, sometimes yellow with purple streaks, 10–20 × 5–13 mm.

Disc florets

200–400(–800+);

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

300–500(–700+);

corollas yellow proximally, yellow to purple to dark blue-purple distally, 3.2–3.6 mm, lobes 5.

Phyllaries

(connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy.

sparsely to densely hairy.

Heads

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

1–15(–25) 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.

2–2.9 mm, moderately hairy;

pappi of 6–7 entire, aristate scales 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 32, 34, 36.

= 30.

Helenium autumnale

Helenium arizonicum

Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct(–Nov). Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Roadsides, fields, along streams, ditches, seepage areas, around ponds and lakes Pine forests, edges of wet places such as bogs, ponds, lakes, ditches
Elevation 20–2600 m (100–8500 ft) 1800–2400 m (5900–7900 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]
from FNA
AZ
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 431. FNA vol. 21, p. 432.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Gaillardiinae > Helenium 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
H. amarum, H. autumnale, 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) S. F. Blake: J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 27: 388. (1937)
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