Il6 HELENIUM AUTUMNALE. AUTUMN SNEEZEWORT. 



in company with all the other members of the genus. " It may 

 be used," continues Rafinesque, " in diseases of the head, deaf- 

 ness, amaurosis, headache, hemicrania, rheumatism, or congestion 

 in the head and gums, in which cases the shocks of sneezing are 

 often useful when other medicines can hardly avail." It appears 

 that the flowers are most efficient in producing that irritation of 

 the nerves which causes sneezing. Cattle, it is said, will not 

 touch the plant, the whole of which, according to Nuttall, is 

 intensely bitter, with something of the aroma of camomile. 

 The same botanist, indeed, observes that our species would 

 probably answer all the medical purposes of the flower just 

 named. 



Botanically the globular head of the H. aiihtmnalc, which is 

 composed of the disk-florets, will attract attention. The shape 

 of the receptacle, which usually gives its form to the head, 

 is often used as a generic as well as a specific character 

 in the classification of composites. The toothed, awn-pointed 

 scales of the pappus, as well as the slightly hairy achenia (Fig. 2), 

 are also worth noting particularly, as they afford good distinc- 

 tions for determining the species. The cylindrical corolla, some- 

 what closed at the mouth (Fig. 2), is characteristic of the genus, 

 there being little difference in the species in this respect. 



The name Sneezewort, which we have placed at the head of 

 this article, is the one most commonly applied to our species, 

 although it sometimes bears the name of Swamp Sunflower, 

 and False Sunflower. 



Explanation of the Plate. — i. Branchlet from a branching head. — 2. Disk-floret and 

 achene, slightly enlarged. — 3. Globular receptacle showing the double row of involucral 

 scales. 



