Sneezeweed

Helenium autumnale

I really like this species epithet: autumnale! It reminds me of what is happening right now, ever so subtly, in the great outdoors: There are little signs of autumn coming–the black gums dropping bright red leaves on the forest floor… the preying mantis growing large and more conspicuous on the prowl… the late summer flowers putting on their biggest show yet, in colors that welcome the upcoming fall season: brilliant golds, soft creams, and deep purples… It all puts one in mind of a Robert Frost poem about autumn… but let’s not go there yet—it is just way too early for that!

Autumn Sneezeweed (or Helen’s Flower): Note how each ray flower of this aster is turned backward and bears a pretty scalloped edge with 3 lobes. And the yellow center of disk flowers is globular, not flattened. It is just darling!

Sneezeweed is a native perennial that will grow 2-5 feet in height while flaunting numerous bright yellow, daisy-like blooms. The stem is winged; the leaves are dark green, alternate, lance-shaped and slightly toothed. This wildflower is so pretty that cultivars of it are commonly grown by gardeners looking to add some height and color to their fall gardens.

A late-summer and fall-blooming plant of moist places, sneezeweed likes to keep its feet wet in hot weather. I photographed these plants growing around the perimeter of Pandapas Pond, in Montgomery County, in late August; others were spotted around the same time in a sunny bog near Glen Alton.

From a medicinal perspective, sneezeweed was once dried to a powder and used to make snuff. Achoo!! Excuse me. The purpose of snuff was to cause sneezing, which we all know helps to rid the body of evil spirits!

Achoo!! More snuff please!