Helenium autumnale L.

Common sneezeweed (en), Hélénium (fr), Hélénie d'automne (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asterales > Asteraceae > Helenium

Characteristics

Fibrous-rooted perennial 5–15 dm, glabrous to finely strigose or puberulent; lvs numerous, all or mainly cauline, lance-linear to elliptic or narrowly ovate, narrowed to a sessile or subpetiolar base, decurrent as wings on the stem, not much reduced upwards, 4–15 cm × 5–40 mm, the lower ones deciduous; heads (1–)several or many in a leafy infl, hemispheric or subglobose, the disk yellow, 8–20 mm wide; rays ca 13 to ca 21, pistillate, mostly 1.5–2.5 cm; pappus-scales generally brownish, ovate or lanceolate, tapering to a short awn, to ca 1 mm overall; 2n=32, 34, 36. Moist low ground; Que. to Fla., w. to B.C. and Ariz. Aug.–Oct. The var. autumnale, with elliptic to oblong or lanceolate, generally toothed lvs 3–6 times as long as wide, occurs from Conn. to Minn., s. to Fla. and Tex. (H. altissimum; H. latifolium; H. parviflorum) The var. canaliculatum (Lam.) Torr. & A. Gray, a usually smaller, sometimes single-headed plant with narrower, mostly subentire lvs 7–12 times as long as wide, occurs from Que. to N.Y., w. to Wis. Other vars. occur westward.
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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. Heads 5–70(–100+) per plant, in paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 3–10 cm, moderately to densely hairy. Involucres globoid, 8–20 × 8–23 mm. Phyllaries (connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy. 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. 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.
A herb. It grow 25-125 cm tall. The leaves are long and sword shaped. They are 15 cm long. The daisy like flower heads are yellow.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.5
Mature height (meter) 1.5
Root system fibrous-root
Rooting depth (meter) 0.2
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in moist, low ground. It suits cooler mountain regions in India.
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Wet meadows and marshes. Rich thickets, meadows and shores. Low, moist calcareous soils in Texas.
Light 6-8
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 2-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 3-7

Usage

Uses environmental use medicinal poison
Edible -
Therapeutic use Alterative (flower), Analgesic (flower), Cold Remedy (flower), Nose Medicine (leaf), Gynecological Aid (root), Febrifuge (unspecified), Respiratory Aid (unspecified), Cold Remedy (unspecified), Gastrointestinal Aid (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Cold (unspecified), Decongestant (unspecified), Hayfever (unspecified), Insecticide (unspecified), Sternutatory (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Piscicide (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings, divisions or seedlings.
Mode cuttings divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 14 - 28
Germination temperacture (C°) 20
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -40
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Helenium autumnale leaf picture by Ken Borgfeldt (cc-by-sa)
Helenium autumnale leaf picture by Diane Hill (cc-by-sa)
Helenium autumnale leaf picture by tomhuck88 (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Helenium autumnale flower picture by liesbeth langerak (cc-by-sa)
Helenium autumnale flower picture by K O (cc-by-sa)
Helenium autumnale flower picture by Lorri Yurick (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Helenium autumnale fruit picture by guinnevere lowe (cc-by-sa)
Helenium autumnale fruit picture by guinnevere lowe (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Helenium autumnale world distribution map, present in Canada, Tajikistan, United States of America, and Uzbekistan

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:211760-1
WFO ID wfo-0000124883
COL ID 3K4J8
BDTFX ID 30998
INPN ID 100859
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Helenium grandiflorum Helenium commutatum Helenia autumnalis Helenium montanum Helenium macranthum Helenium canaliculatum Helenium tubuliflorum Helenium longifolium Helenium latifolium Helenium parviflorum Helenium pumilum Helenium altissimum Heleniastrum montanum Helenium pubescens Helenium pubescens Heleniastrum autumnale Helenia decurrens Helenium autumnale var. grandiflorum Helenium autumnale var. canaliculatum Helenium autumnale var. parviflorum Helenium autumnale var. fylesii Helenium autumnale var. montanum Helenium autumnale