Purple-headed sneezeweed

Images

Click on image to view full size

Purple-headed sneezeweed leaves

Purple-headed sneezeweed habit

Purple-headed sneezeweed

Purple-headed sneezeweed ray and disk florets

Purple-headed sneezeweed

Purple-headed sneezeweed

Purple-headed sneezeweed inflorescences

Purple-headed sneezeweed

Purple-headed sneezeweed stem

Purple-headed sneezeweed

Purple-headed sneezeweed stem

Purple-headed sneezeweed disk florets

Purple-headed sneezeweed inflorescence

Morphology

Stem

Erect or ascending, usually 1, simple below, much branched above, glabrous or finely soft-hairy, prominently winged.

Leaves

Alternate; basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate to spatulate or obovate, to 8 inches long, entire or toothed, usually absent or withered at flowering; stem leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.2 to 4.8 inches long, .2 to .8 inches wide, glabrous or sparsely to moderately short-hairy, glandular dotted; margins entire or toothed; bases with conspicuous narrow wings extending down stem.

Inflorescence

Heads, 1-80, in open cluster, corymb-like or panicle-like, terminal, on stalks 1.2 to 4 inches long; bracts 15-21, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, moderately to densely hairy, arranged in whorls; disk spherical or usually broadly egg-shaped, 1/5 to 3/5 inch across.

Flower

Ray florets sterile, usually 8-13, occasionally absent, often turned downward; ligule 1/5 to 4/5 inch long, yellow, base sometimes purplish, tip 3-lobed; disk florets fertile, 250-700; corollas 1/10 to 1/6 inch long, 4-lobed, purple or brownish-purple.

Fruit

Achene, tiny, wedge-shaped, brown, ribs white-hairy, tipped by 5-6 pointed scales with awn-like tips, enclosing small seed.

Ecology

Habitat

Moist open, disturbed areas, ditches, old fields, washes, stream banks pastures, roadsides.

Distribution

Extreme southest Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Toxic to cattle and sheep but is rarely eaten due to poor palatability. Can be problematic when alternate forage is unavailable. The toxic effects are cumulative. Other species of Helenium tend to be more of a problem for sheep.

Uses

Native Americans steeped the leaves and used the tea as a laxative. At one time, sneezeweed was used to treat colds and congestion. The dried powdered leaves and flowers were used to induce sneezing.