Helenium elegans

Annuals, 20–120 cm. Stems usually 1, branched distally, moderately to strongly winged, glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy (basal withered by flowering); proximal and mid blades lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, entire, serrate, or irregularly toothed or lobed; distal blades lanceolate to linear, entire. Heads 20–200+ per plant, in paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 2–14 cm, moderately to densely hairy. Involucres globoid, 5–11 × 5–12(–13) mm. Phyllaries (connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy. Ray florets 10–17, pistillate, fertile; corollas yellow throughout or red-brown to red proximally and yellow distally, 5.5–15(–19) × 2.2–5.5(–8.7) mm. Disc florets 150–700+; corollas yellow proximally, yellow to brown to usually reddish brown distally, 1.5–2.3(–2.5) mm, lobes 5. Cypselae 0.6–1 mm, moderately hairy; pappi of 6–7 entire, non-aristate scales 0.05–0.3(–0.4) mm.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

sc United States, n Mexico.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Helenium elegans var. amphibolum, Helenium elegans var. elegans

Key

1	Proximal leaves usually entire, rarely serrate; involucres 5–8 × 5–8 mm	Helenium elegans var. elegans
1	Proximal leaves usually irregularly toothed or lobed; involucres 7–11 × 8–12(–13) mm	Helenium elegans var. amphibolum