1. © Dr. John Hilty
Purple Sneezeweed
Helenium flexuosum

2. 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

3. 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

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

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

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