''Helenium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of annuals and

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

s in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to the Americas. They bear yellow or orange daisy-like composite flowers. A number of these species (particularly ''

Helenium autumnale ''Helenium autumnale'' is a North American species of poisonous flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Common names include common sneezeweed and large-flowered sneezeweed. Description Common sneezeweed is a perennial herb up to tall. In l ...

'') have the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

sneezeweed, based on the former use of their dried leaves in making snuff. It was inhaled to cause sneezing that would supposedly rid the body of evil spirits. Larger species may grow up to tall. The genus is named for

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

, daughter of

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

and Leda. ''Helenium'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including ''

Phymatopus behrensii ''Phymatopus behrensii'' is a species of moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. It was described by Stretch in 1872, and is known from the United States, including California and Washington. The wingspan is about 43 mm. Recorded food pla ...

''. Genus level properties: most conspicuously globe-like disk-shaped flowers, rays three-lobed at tip.

Species

File:Helenium 'El Dorado'. Opengebarsten bloemknop. 18-07-2021. (d.j.b).jpg, helenium 'El dorado'. File:Bloem van een Helenium. 03-07-2021 (actm.).jpg, 'helenium 'Flamingo'. File:Verregende bloem van een Helenium 'El Dorado'. 22-07-2023. (d.j.b).jpg, helenium 'El dorado'. File:Bloemknop van een Helenium autumnale. 20-08-2023. (d.j.b).jpg, ''Helenium autumnale''.

Cultivation

Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...

have been developed for garden use - mainly from ''H. autumnale'' and ''H. bigelovii''. They are useful for late summer and fall bloom, usually in less formal compositions. They are appropriate for native gardens in areas where they are indigenous, and they look wonderfully in bouquets. Annual species are easily grown from seed, and perennials should be divided every year in order to retain their vigor. The soil should be fertile with a generous amount of organic manner in the form of compost, manure or other decayed organic matter in addition to, perhaps, an application of a complete fertilizer in spring. Heleniums should be grown in full sun average to moist soil with good drainage. They are drought tolerant, but should be watered on planting and regularly until established.

Cultivars

The following have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

:- * 'Baudirektor Linne' * 'Blütentisch' * 'Butterpat' * 'Dunkle Pracht' * 'Feuersiegel' * 'Gartensonne' * 'Karneol' * 'Moerheim Beauty' * 'Ring of Fire' * 'Rubinzwerg' * 'Sahin's Early Flowerer' * 'Waltraut' * 'Wesergold' The UK

National Collection The UK National Collection is a collection of around 280 historic rolling stock, rail vehicles (predominantly of British origin). The majority of the collection is kept at four national museums: * National Railway Museum, York * National Railwa ...

of heleniums is located at Yew Tree House, Hall Lane, Hankelow. near Audlem in Cheshire.Special Perennials, National Collections of ''Helenium'' and ''Centaurea'', Hankelow, Cheshire, United Kingdom
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References

Bibliography

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1632842 Asteraceae genera Helen of Troy