Helenium
Helenium elegans
sneezeweed
pretty sneezeweed
1(–10), erect, simple or branched distally (usually ± winged by decurrent leaf bases), glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy.
usually 1, branched distally, moderately to strongly winged, glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy.
usually mostly cauline; mostly alternate (proximal sometimes opposite);
petiolate or sessile;
blades mostly elliptic, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, oblong, ovate, or spatulate, often pinnately lobed or pinnatifid, ultimate margins entire or toothed, faces glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy, gland-dotted.
glabrous or sparsely hairy (basal withered by flowering);
proximal and mid blades lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, entire, serrate, or irregularly toothed or lobed;
distal blades lanceolate to linear, entire.
2–14 cm, moderately to densely hairy.
± globose, hemispheric, obconic, or ovoid, 4–34 mm diam.
globoid, 5–11 × 5–12(–13) mm.
conic, ± globose, hemispheric, or ovoid, pitted (glabrous), epaleate (rarely bearing setiform enations).
0 or 7–34, pistillate and fertile or neuter;
corollas yellow, yellow with purple streaks, reddish brown to red proximally and yellow distally, or reddish brown to red or purple throughout.
10–17, pistillate, fertile;
corollas yellow throughout or red-brown to red proximally and yellow distally, 5.5–15(–19) × 2.2–5.5(–8.7) mm.
75–1000+, bisexual, fertile;
corollas yellow, purple, or yellow to yellow-green proximally and yellow-brown, brown or reddish brown to purple distally, tubes shorter than throats, lobes 4 or 5, ± deltate (style-branch apices penicillate or truncate).
150–700+;
corollas yellow proximally, yellow to brown to usually reddish brown distally, 1.5–2.3(–2.5) mm, lobes 5.
persistent, 9–34(–40+) in (1–)2[–3] series (distinct or proximally connate, usually reflexed in fruit, glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy, gland-dotted).
(connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy.
radiate or discoid, borne singly or (2–300+) in paniculiform to corymbiform arrays.
20–200+ per plant, in paniculiform arrays.
mostly obpyramidal, 4–5-angled, glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy;
pappi persistent, of 5–12 entire or ± lacerate, sometimes aristate scales.
0.6–1 mm, moderately hairy;
pappi of 6–7 entire, non-aristate scales 0.05–0.3(–0.4) mm.
= 17.
Helenium
Helenium elegans
Species ca. 32 (18 in the flora).
Helenium polyphyllum Small is apparently a hybrid between H. autumnale and H. flexuosum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stems not winged | H. amarum |
1. Stems ± winged (by decurrent leaf bases) | → 2 |
2. Ray florets usually 8–34, neuter (if rays 0, perennials from e or se United States) | → 3 |
2. Ray florets usually 7–30, pistillate, fertile (if rays 0, plants either perennials from w United States or annuals) | → 8 |
3. Heads 1(–3); disc corollas mostly yellow, sometimes yellow-brown distally | → 4 |
3. Heads 1–80+; disc corollas usually purple, sometimes red-brown or yellow-brown distally or throughout | → 6 |
4. Pappus scales deeply lacerate; e Texas, sw Louisiana | H. drummondii |
4. Pappus scales entire or slightly lacerate (never deeply lacerate); se Louisiana, s Mississippi, s Alabama, s Georgia, se South Carolina, s North Carolina, Florida | → 5 |
5. Leaves of basal rosettes usually pinnatifid; peduncles hairy; cypselae hairy | H. pinnatifidum |
5. Leaves of basal rosettes usually entire; peduncles usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy; cypselae glabrous | H. vernale |
6. Heads (1–)5–50(–80); pappi of aristate scales | H. flexuosum |
6. Heads 1–20; pappi of non-aristate scales | → 7 |
7. Stems densely hairy proximally; leaves moderately to densely hairy; pappi 0.3–0.5 mm; nc Arkansas | H. campestre |
7. Stems glabrous proximally; leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy; pappi 1–1.7 mm; se United States | H. brevifolium |
8. Perennials | → 9 |
8. Annuals | → 13 |
9. Stems unbranched or sparingly branched distally | → 10 |
9. Stems strongly branched distally | → 11 |
10. Peduncles usually densely hairy; pappi (2.5–)3–4.5 mm | H. bolanderi |
10. Peduncles sparsely to moderately hairy; pappi 1.3–2.2(–2.7) mm | H. bigelovii |
11. Rays usually 13–15, sometimes 0, corollas 3.8–10 mm; disc corollas yello to reddish brown or purple distally, lobes 4(–5) | H. puberulum |
11. Rays 8–21, corollas 10–23 mm; disc corollas yellow to yellow-brown distally, lobes 5 | → 12 |
12. Leaves: basal blades oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate (withered by flowering), mid blades usually dentate, distal blades entire or dentate; United States and s Canada | H. autumnale |
12. Leaves: basal blades oblanceolate (usually present at flowering), mid blades usually entire, sometimes dentate; swampy meadows, Missouri, Virginia | H. virginicum |
13. Pappi of aristate scales | → 14 |
13. Pappi of non-aristate scales | → 16 |
14. Disc corolla lobes 4(–5); California | H. puberulum |
14. Disc corolla lobes 5; Arizona, Texas | → 15 |
15. Stems weakly winged (leaf bases scarcely decurrent from node to node); cypselae 2–2.9 mm; n Arizona | H. arizonicum |
15. Stems narrowly winged (leaf bases decurrent from node to node); cypselae 1–1.2 mm; s Texas | H. linifolium |
16. Involucres globoid and distal leaves entire | H. elegans |
16. Involucres usually ovoid to obconic (if globoid, distal leaves serrate to undulate-serrate) | → 17 |
17. Distal leaves serrate to undulate-serrate; disc corolla lobes (4–)5 | H. microcephalum |
17. Distal leaves entire; disc corolla lobes 4 | → 18 |
18. Rays 10–15 | H. quadridentatum |
18. Rays 0 | H. thurberi |
1. Proximal leaves usually entire, rarely serrate; involucres 5–8 × 5–8 mm | var. elegans |
1. Proximal leaves usually irregularly toothed or lobed; involucres 7–11 × 8–12(–13) mm | var. amphibolum |
CA
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
