Sneezeweed, Helenium
autumnale
Asteraceae or Sunflower Family
Plant 2-6 feet tall. Leaves lance-shaped, weakly
toothed. The leaf bases extend like winds down the sides
of the stem. Flower heads consisting of a near spherical
button of disc flowers, orange to brown, with a skirt of yellow
ray flowers. The rays are wedge-shaped, broadest at tip,
with 3 terminal lobes. Blooms in late summer and autumn.
Attractive native of wet places. Common in the wetland
near the Main Street entrance. Despite its name, it is not
a cause of allergic reactions; supposedly the name comes from
the impression that the flower head has just sneezed.
No other member of this family in Wildwood has a near
spherical disk with a skirt of wedge-shaped rays. The wet
feet is a confirming character.
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