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Helenium autumnale

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

Virginia sneezeweed

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

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

1(–2), branched distally, strongly winged, glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy proximally, glabrous or sparsely 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.

glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy;

basal blades oblanceolate, weakly to strongly lobed;

proximal and mid blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, usually entire, sometimes dentate;

distal blades usually lanceolate, entire.

Peduncles

3–10 cm, moderately to densely hairy.

2–8 cm, sparsely to moderately hairy.

Involucres

globoid, 8–20 × 8–23 mm.

globoid, 8–15 × 10–16 mm.

Ray florets

8–21, pistillate, fertile;

corollas yellow, 10–23 × 4–10 mm.

8–13, pistillate, fertile;

corollas yellow, 10–15 × 4–10 mm.

Disc florets

200–400(–800+);

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

200–400+;

corollas yellow proximally, yellow to yellow-brown distally, 2.5–3.5 mm, lobes 5.

Phyllaries

(connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy.

(connate proximally) sparsely to moderately hairy.

Heads

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

2–25+ 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.

1.8–2.3 mm, moderately hairy;

pappi of 5–6 entire, aristate scales 1.3–2 mm.

2n

= 32, 34, 36.

Helenium autumnale

Helenium virginicum

Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct(–Nov). Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Roadsides, fields, along streams, ditches, seepage areas, around ponds and lakes Around ponds, lakes, and bogs, swampy meadows
Elevation 20–2600 m (100–8500 ft) 300–500 m (1000–1600 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
MO; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

M. C. Simurda and J. S. Knox (2000) presented ITS sequence data that placed a population of Helenium virginicum from the Ozark highlands of southern Missouri in a monophyletic group with six populations of H. virginicum from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. R. L. Rimer and J. W. Summers (Missouri Department of Conservation, pers. comm.) located 42 H. virginicum populations in six counties in the Ozark highlands of Missouri. G. A. Yatskievych (Missouri Botanical Garden, pers. comm. to editors) has stated, “. . . the existence of this taxon in Missouri is no longer a matter of a single odd population, but probably rather another case of a taxon with two disjunct centers following dissection of a range during the Pleistocene glaciation.”

Helenium virginicum is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 431. FNA vol. 21, p. 431.
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. arizonicum, 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
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: Claytonia 3: 13. (1936)
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