Helenium puberulum DC.
sneezewort
Annual or short-lived perennial herb, c. 0.5-1 m tall. Stems sparsely hairy, becoming glabrous, sometimes sparsely glandular, ribbed, much-branched above and below, with the decurrent lvs forming conspicuous wings. Lower and mid cauline lvs sparsely hairy and densely glandular on both surfaces, apetiolate but narrowed to base in lowermost lvs, elliptic to lanceolate, entire, or shallowly sinuate, 3-13 × 0.5-2.5 cm; uppermost lvs becoming smaller, narrower, and more lanceolate or narrow-triangular. Capitula 10-20 mm diam., long-pedunculate in loose cymes. Outer involucral bracts densely hairy, foliaceous, linear or linear-lanceolate, 4-8 mm long; inner bracts ± glabrous, membranous, c. 2 mm long. Ligules of ray florets inconspicuous, yellow, 3-6 mm long, soon reflexed; disc florets numerous, yellow or tinged brown. Achenes brown, 8-10-ribbed and somewhat angled, glandular, 1.5-2 mm long; ribs with antrorse hairs; pappus scales 5-6, ovate-triangular, aristate and finely laciniate, c. 1 mm long.
N.: scattered localities northwards from vicinity of Hamilton and Rotorua.
W. U.S.A. 1897
Pasture, waste places, shady and damp areas.
FL Dec-Apr.
The decurrent lvs distinguish this sp. and H. autumnale from all other members of the Heliantheae in N.Z. The achenes are remarkably similar to those of Galinsoga, but are distinguished by being glandular and having fewer scales. Sneezewort has been previously recorded in N.Z. as H. quadridentatum.
