© Dr. John Hilty Purple Sneezeweed Helenium flexuosum

Purple Sneezeweed This time of year one can start to see the rosettes of this year’s perennials. It is a favorite time of year Rosettes are confusing and sometimes hard to recognize. This is a sneezeweed rosette and grows into one of my favorite plants, I delight in seeing it. Notice the scalloped leaves. © Katy Emde

Plant Details Bloom Time: June, July, August 2-4’ Tall Flower Color: Yellow, Reddish Brown, Orange. Grows in a wide variety of soil types. Stems start to branch in the upper half. MissouriPlants.com © Missouriplants.com

Flowers Ray Florets: 8-13 Disc Florets: 250-500 © Carolyn Fannon Ray Florets: 8-13 Disc Florets: 250-500 Petaloid disc florets are V-shaped and have 3 scallops. © Harry Cliffe Purplish brown ball of disc flowers. Globoid shape. Harry Cliffe, Carolyn Fannon

Leaves Leaves are alternate. Leaves up to 5” long and 1” wide. Sessile, clasping leaves Winged stem. Steve Baskauf, DiscoverLife © Steve Baskauf

Favorite Conditions Prefers full sun to part shade. Prefers a moister area, a low area will probably suffice. Tolerates some flooding. Wet prairies, moist areas in upland prairies, ditches and pastures. Found in high quality prairies and disturbed areas. Mine © Katy Emde

Wildlife Benefits Flowerheads offer nectar and pollen. Visitors include long- tongued bees, short- tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and skippers. Insects that eat the plant include butterfly caterpillars, moth caterpillars, and weevils. Don Verser, The flowerheads offer nectar and pollen as floral rewards to a wide range of insect visitors, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and skippers. Various insects feed on the leaves, pith of the stems, and other parts of Helenium spp. (Sneezeweeds). These species include the caterpillars of the butterfly Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulfur), the caterpillars of Papaipema impecuniosa (Aster Borer Moth) and Papaipema rigida (Rigid Sunflower Borer Moth), and Smicronyx discoideus (Sneezeweed Weevil). Most of these insects also feed on other herbaceous species in the Aster family. © Don Verser

Derivation of Genus Name The genus is thought to have been named by Linnaeus for Helen of Troy. The legend is that the flowers sprung up from the ground where her tears fell. R W Smith © R. W. Smith

Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Illinoiswildflowers.com Discoverlife All the photographer.s Missouriplants.com _________ Not currently available for sale _______ © Steve Baskauf