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Helenium flexuosum
Helen's Flower, Purple-Headed Sneezeweed, Purple Sneezeweed, Purplehead Sneezeweed

Photo by David Stang

Purple-Headed Sneezeweed is a winning native perennial, found in wet, sunny habitats in the Eastern half of the U.S. In NC, it is reported to occur in scattered counties in the mountains, piedmont and coastal plain. It is popular because the flowers are charming in the garden or the naturalized meadow as well as in flower arrangements. Their spherical or thimble–shaped brown/purple flower centers, surrounded by gracefully drooping, bright yellow petals (resembling a lady’s skirt), occur at the tops of the winged stems. It is easily distinguished from other members of the Asteraceae by its spherical or thimble-shaped brown/purple center of disk florets, the 3-lobed, drooping ray florets, and the highly winged stems. Sneezeweed is happiest grown in full sun when the soil is well-moistened, but not highly fertilized. Even in full sun and lean soil, it benefits from being cut back in early summer to make it a sturdier and more floriferous plant. Purple-Headed Sneezeweed will stay in bloom from mid-summer to early fall, about 2 months, attracting butterflies and birds to its nectar and seeds. We had to look up why its called Sneezeweed: apparently the dried stem and leaves can be crushed into a powder and used as snuff.

Last Updated: May 15, 2019

Key Info

Scientific Name: Helenium flexuosum Raf.
Common Names: Helen's Flower, Purple-Headed Sneezeweed, Purple Sneezeweed, Purplehead Sneezeweed
Family Name: Asteraceae (Composite, or Daisy Family)
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Uses: Perennial Border, Naturalizing, Butterfly garden
Light Requirement: Full sun, Partial/sunny
Moisture Requirement: Wet, Moist well drained
Bloom Times: Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Flower Color: Brown/purple centers with a "skirt" of bright yellow petals
Special Characteristics: Tolerates wet conditions, Good for cut flowers, Reported to be deer resistant.

Additional Info

Habit: An erect, shrubby perennial, multi-stemed (counting the vegetative offsets), stems strongly winged and branching towards top of the plant; basal rosette is present. The root system is fibrous, forming vegetative offsets.
Height: 1'-3'
Spread: 2'
Growth Rate: Moderate
Soil Conditions: Moist to wet, acid or neutral pH adaptable as to soil type.
Leaves: There are basal leaves, to 8" long, in addition to stem leaves, which are alternate, narrow (3" long x 1" across) oval, ranging from pale to medium green, canescent to glabrous, with smooth margins. The base of leaf clasps the stem, forming decurrent extensions of the leaf (the "wings" of the stem below).
Flowers (or reproductive structures): Flowerheads, about 1-1.5" across, are terminal on the stems. Each flower has a convex, strongly spherical or thimble-shaped center consisting of many disk florets, purple to brown, surrounded by bright yellow, reflexed petals or ray florets, which are 3-lobed and gently drooping, and broader at the tip than at the base.
Fruit: The disk florets in the thimble-shaped center develop into small achenes. Each achene is about 1.0 in or more in length and bullet-shaped.
Natural Distribution: Sneezeweeed is found in both high quality habitats (riverbottom meadows, wet prairies, moist swales in upland prairies, along stream banks, damp thickets) and is weedy in disturbed areas as well (roadsides, ditches, abandoned fields and pastures).
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FAC (FACW on coastal plain)
Pollination: Bees, butterflies, other insects
Wildlife Connections: Sneezeweed's nectar and pollen attract a wide range of insects, including many bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and skippers. Various insects feed on the leaves, the pith of the stems, and other parts, including the caterpillars of the Dainty Sulfur butterfly and several moths and weevils. Birds eat the seeds. The tissue is bitter and unpalatable as well as toxic to mammalian herbivores such as deer and cattle. (Illinoiswildflowers.info)
Pharmacology: Leaves, flowers and seeds are poisonous if ingested in large quantities (NCSU) but has anti-cancer properties (discoverlife.org). The dried, powdered flowers and leaves cause violent sneezing, hence the common name; it is toxic to cattle; but was used as medicine by native americans.
Cultural Notes: Cutting back the plant in early summer will result in a sturdier, more highly branched plant with more flowers. Deadheading will encourage longer bloom, and dividing clumps every few years will keep it vigorous.
Downside: Cannot tolerate dry soil conditions.
Propagation: By seed or by stem cuttings.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov

Availability

Available: Quarts, $8

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Cure Nursery is a small nursery propagating and selling native plants for the Southeastern U.S. We are located near the town of Pittsboro, Chatham County, in central NC.

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