Sneezeweed

Plant Info

Also known as:	Common Sneezeweed, Sneezewort, Swamp Sunflower
Scientific name:	Helenium autumnale
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; moist fields, swamps, along shores
Bloom season:	summer, fall
Plant height:	2 to 5 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Rice Creek Trail Corridor Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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Detailed Information

Flower:

Up to 100 flowers per plant, each 1 to 2 inches across with 10 to 15 bright yellow petals. Each petal has 3 lobes at the tip. The ¾ to 1-inch round greenish-yellow center protrudes like a ball.

Leaves and stem:

Leaves are 3 to 6 inches long, ½ to 1 inch wide with widely spaced teeth and a pointed tip. The base of the leaf extends down the stem, giving a somewhat layered look.

Notes:

The bulbous flower center and unusual leaf attachment at the stem make this easy to identify. The photos here were taken as the flowers were beginning to fade, so the petals were a bit droopier than they would be had I gotten there a week or so earlier.

More photos

• full length of plant, about 4 feet tall

All photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, September 2006.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?

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Please: Do not ask about where to buy seed or other gardening questions, are plants edible, etc. I am not a horticulturist or botanist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist so I probably don't know the answer. Please check the links page for additional resources. -thanks much

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