Asteraceae
Daisy Family
Helenium autumnale L.
- Stem: perennial; 2 1/2’ to 4’ tall; leaf margins continue down stem as wings; short-hairy.
- Leaves: alternate; crowded; oval with tapered bases, sharp tips; 4” by 1”; shallow teeth on margins; hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: few heads on branching flower stalks from stem tip and upper leaf axils; corymbiform.
- Heads: few, yellow rays with notched ends, 1/2” to 3/4” long; head 2” across; light brown disk flowers form a round head, 1/2” in diameter; few, lance-shaped fillaries; flowering from early August to mid-September.
- Fruits: “seeds” (fruits) 1/32” long with remains of the corolla at the upper end, no plume; fruiting begins in late August.
- Habitat: infrequent on marshes and low prairies.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
