Helenium autumnale

Common sneezeweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Common sneezeweed is a California native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges, Klamath Ranges, and North Coast mountains in roadsides, fields, and wet areas at elevations of 20 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow ray flowers with yellow to yellow-brown disk centers in heads 8 to 20 millimeters wide, with 8 to 21 ray flowers surrounding numerous disk flowers. Growing 50 to 130 centimeters tall with strongly winged stems that branch toward the top and are somewhat hairy, it forms robust clumps in moist habitats. Its leaves range from oblanceolate to obovate, with lower leaves often withering by flowering time and cauline leaves that are lanceolate and partially toothed. The fruit is small, 1 to 2 millimeters long, with 5 to 7 pappus scales that have awn-like tips.

Habitat: Roadsides, fields, wet areas

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: 20-2600 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, MP

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.