450 



COMPOSITAE. 



[Vol. Iir. 



Helenium autumnale L. 



78. HELENIUM L. Sp. PI. 886. 1753. 



Erect, mostly branching herbs, with alternate, mainly decurrcnt, punctate bitter entire or 

 dentate leaves, and large peduncle<l heads of both tubular and radiate, yellow or brownish-yel- 

 low flowers, or rays sometimes wanting. Involucre broad and short, its bracts in i or 2 series, 

 linear or subulate, reflexed or spreading. Receptacle convex, sub-globose or oblong, naked. 

 Ray-flowers pistillate and fertile, or neutral, the rays cuneate, 3-5-lobed. Disk-flowers per- 

 fect, fertile, their corollas 4-5-toothed, the teeth glandular-pubescent, .\nthers 2-toothedor 

 sagittate at the base. Style-branches of the disk-flowers dilated and truncate at the apex. 

 Achenes turbinate, ribbed. Pappus of 5-S entire, dentate or incised, acuminate or aristate 

 scales. [The (ireek name of some plant, from Helenus or Helena.] 



About 24 species, natives of North and Central .\merica. In addition to the following, some 18 

 others occur in the southern and southwestern parts of the United States. 

 Stem-leaves oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, dentate; rays fertile; disk yellow. 



1. ff. aulumnaU. 

 Stem-leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, mainly entire; rays neutral; disk purple. 



2. H. nudiftoriim. 

 Leaves all linear-filiform, entire; rays fertile. 3- ^ lenui/olium. 



False or Swamp Sunflower. Sneezeweed. 

 (Fig. 3972.) 



Helenium auluttinale L. Sp. PI. 886. 1753. 



Perennial; stem pubcrulent or glabrous, 

 rather stout, narrowl)- winged by the decur- 

 reut bases of the leaves, corymbosely branch- 

 ed above,2°-6° high. Leaves firm, oblong, lan- 

 ceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate or acute 

 at apex, narrowed to the sessile base, pinnately 

 few-veined, 2'-5'long, '+'-2' wide, dentate or 

 denticulate, puberulent or glabrous, bright 

 green; heads numerous, i'-2' broad, borne 

 on long puberulent peduncles; bracts of the 

 flatfish involucre densely cauescent; rays 

 lO-iS, drooping, bright yellow, equalling or 

 longer than the globose yellow disk, pistillate 

 and fertile, 3 cleft; achenes pubescent on the 

 angles; pappus-scales ovate, acuminate or 

 aristate, often lacerate or toothed. 



In swamps and wet meadows, Quebec to Flor- 

 ida, west to the Northwest Territorj- and Arizona. 

 Called also Yellow-star, Ox-eye. Ascends to 

 2600 ft. in Virginia. .\ug.-Oct. 



Helenium autumnale pubescens ( .\it. 1 Britton, 

 Mem. Torr. Club, 5: 3;,p. 1894. 

 Helenium pubescens Ait. Hort. Kew. 3: 2S7. 1789. 

 Leaves pale, pubescent, or densely canescent beneath. Minnesota to British Columbia, Nebraska, 

 and Texas. 



2. Helenium nudiflorum Nutt. Pur- 

 ple-head Sneezeweed. (Fig. 3973.) 



Helenium nudiflorum Nutt. Trans. Am. Phil. 



Soc. (II.)7:384. 1S41. 

 Leptopoda brachypoda T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2: 388. 



1842. 



Perennial; stem mostly slender, puberulent 

 at least above, corymbosely branched near the 

 summit, i°-3° high, narrowly winged by the 

 decurrent leaf-bases. Stem-leaves lanceolate or 

 linear-lanceolate, entire or sparingly denticu- 

 late, acute orobtusish at the apex, i/j'-3' long, 

 2"-6" wide, sessile; basal and lower leaves 

 spatulate, obtuse, more or less dentate, taper- 

 ing into margined petioles; heads several or 

 numerous, l'-ij4' broad, on slender or short- 

 puberulent peduncles; rays 10-15 (sometimes 

 wanting), drooping, yellow, yellow with a 

 brown base, or brown throughout, 3-toothed, 

 neutral, or with rudimentary pistils, sterile, 

 equalling or exceeding the brown or purple 

 globose disk; pappus-scales ovate, aristate. 



In moist soil, Missouri and Illinois to Texas, 

 east to North Carolina and Florida. Also near 

 Philadelphia, where it is apparently naturalized from the south. June-Oct. 



