Note from the Author: I previously covered this plant on February 18th 2022.
This one has to be the prettiest specimen I've ever seen. Coming out of a crack in the cement curb, Bitter Sneezeweed is a serious annual plant. Mixed in with the weeds and tall grass of an overgrown field is where you might find these annuals. No other plant has a flower quite like Bitter Sneezeweed.
Common Name: Bitter Sneezeweed
Other Common Names: Yellow sneezeweed, Fiveleaf sneezeweed and Yellowdicks.
Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Helenium amarum
Description & Habitat: Typically you will find this plant along the roadside or in fields, by the edge of pastures and it pops up a lot in areas with very sandy soil. Bitter Sneezeweed has an upright habit and forms a sort of canopy as it takes on an overall ‘V’ shape when seen from the side. The bright golden yellow flowers are roughly shaped like a shuttlecock from badminton. The petals tend to arch downwards towards the ground while the florets in the center of the flower form a cone. The foliage of this perennial and native plant has a camphor-chamomile kind of scent.
Special Toxicity Note: This plant contains Helenalin which is a Sesquiterpene lactone and is the primary toxic compound in the plant which serves as its defense against grazing animals which also makes it squirrel and deer resistant. It also contains Dugaldin and phenol which makes it toxic to cats too so definitely not for use as a house plant but it thankfully is a bitter tasting which can discourage animal and small child consumption.
When & What to Harvest: Generally for medicinal use you can harvest the mature flowers, stems and foliage. The leaves when used in an infusion are said to be a laxative. Infusions using only the stems are supposedly used in a wash to help treat fevers. The mature flower heads when dried were used to treat Colds and headaches while if made into a tea they were said to treat worms in the intestine. Lastly and perhaps most promising is that the plant contains Helenalin a compound that has shown great promise in anti-tumor use.
Related Plants: Common Sneezeweed (H. autumnale), Purple-headed Sneezeweed (H. flexuosum).
Recipe: (None, this plant is not for culinary use)
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helenium-autumnale/
Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:
https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/bitter-sneezeweed
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
Fresh Produce:
Blueberries, Rabbiteye
Figs, Magnolia
Peppers, Banana Drop Hybrid
Summer Vegetables:
Nightshade Greens, Gbognome
Nightshade Greens, West African Njama
Okra, Baby Bubba
Okra, Iraqi Bamia
Pepper, Ghost
Pepper, Serrano
Pepper, Hungarian Wax Banana
Pepper, Bull’s Horn
Pepper, Mad Hatter
Pepper, Purple Bell
Potato, Adirondak (Purple skin with blue-purple flesh)
Spinach, Egyptian
Herbs:
Basil, Holy
Basil, Sweet Genovese
Chives
Yarrow, Parker’s Gold
Flowers:
Flowering Tobacco
Hibiscus, Luna Red
Marigolds
Plants Coming Soon:
Green-Fruit Nightshade Greens
Rainbow Quinoa
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Stevia
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is June 28th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.