Bitter Sneezeweed

Scientific Name - Helenium amarum (Raf.) H. Rock
Family - Compositae

Summer annual with upright growth habit and strong taproot. Stem purple, freely branched toward the middle. Leaves numerous, small, thread-like. Basal stem leaves usually absent at flowering. Numerous flowers arranged in heads. Flowers yellow. Central disk dome-shaped. Reproduces by seed. Plant with pungent odor and bitter taste. Found throughout the continental United States, north to Massachusetts, west to Texas and California. Not found in the High Plains, Pacific Northwest, and Southwest states.