Helenium flexuosum

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

Browse Photos

Consortia links

Image searches

Family:	ASTERACEAE
Species:	Helenium flexuosum Raf.
Common Name:	PURPLEHEAD SNEEZEWEED
Status:	Native, FACW (DEP), FACW (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	ASTERALES
Family	ASTERACEAE
Genus	Helenium
Species	Helenium flexuosum Raf. - PURPLEHEAD SNEEZEWEED

Citation

Citation	HELENIUM FLEXUOSUM Rafinesque, New Fl. 4: 81. 1838 ("1836").
Basionym:	**
Type:	INDIANA: Vigo Co.: Terre Haute, Aug 1884, Mohr & Mohr s.n. (neotype: US). Neotypified by H. Rock, Rhodora 59: 210. 1957.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Alachua	FLAS
Calhoun	USF
Citrus	USF
Clay	USF
Columbia	FLAS
Duval	FLAS
Escambia	FSU
Franklin	FLAS
Gadsden	USF
Gilchrist	FLAS
Hamilton	FSU
Hernando	USF
Hillsborough	USF
Jefferson	FLAS
Lafayette	FSU
Leon	FSU
Levy	USF
Liberty	FSU
Madison	FSU
Marion	FLAS
Miami-Dade	USF
Nassau	USF
Pasco	USF
Polk	USF
Santa Rosa	FSU
Sumter	FLAS
Wakulla	USF
Washington	FSU

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Heleniastrum nudiflorum	Heleniastrum nudiflorum (Nuttall) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 342. 1891.	BASIONYM: Helenium nudiflorum Nuttall 1841.
Helenium anceps	Helenium anceps Rafinesque, New Fl. 4: 81. 1838 ("1836").		TYPE: FLORIDA:
Helenium brachypodum	Helenium brachypodum (Torrey & A. Gray) A. W. Wood, Amer. Bot. Fl. 182. 1870.	BASIONYM: Leptopoda brachypoda Torrey & A. Gray 1842.
Helenium floridanum	Helenium floridanum Fernald, Rhodora 45: 494, pl. 799(3-4). 1943.		TYPE: FLORIDA: Hernando Co.: Fitzgerald, s.d., Curtiss 6663 (holotype: NY; isotypes: MIN, MO, NY 2 shts, UC, US).
Helenium nudiflorum	Helenium nudiflorum Nuttall, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., ser. 2. 7: 384. 1841.		TYPE: ARKANSAS:
Leptopoda brachypoda	Leptopoda brachypoda Torrey & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 2: 388. 1842.		TYPE: LOUISIANA: Without data, Aug 1840, Hale s.n. (lectotype: NY). Lectotypified by H. Rock, Rhodora 49: 211. 1957.
Helenium atropurpureum	Helenium atropurpureum Kunth & Bouche, Index Sem. Hort. Berol., 1845. 12. 1845.
Helenium atropurpureum var. grandicephalum	Helenium atropurpureum Kunth & Bouche, var. grandicephalum Lemaire, Ill. Hort. 10: 375. 1863.
Helenium dichotomum	Helenium dichotomum Rafinesque, New Fl. 4: 81. 1838 ("1836").		TYPE: KENTUCKY:
Helenium godfreyi	Helenium godfreyi Fernald, Rhodora 45: 494, pl. 799(1-2). 1943.		TYPE: SOUTH CAROLINA: Berkeley Co.: Pineville, 14 Jul 1939, Godfrey & Tryon 586 (holotype: GH; isotypes: NY, UC, US).
Helenium micranthum	Helenium micranthum Nuttall, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., ser. 2. 7: 385. 1841.		TYPE: SOUTH CAROLINA:
Helenium nudiflorum forma homochromum	Helenium nudiflorum Nuttall, forma homochromum M. D. Howe, Rhodora 70: 454. 1968.		TYPE: NEW YORK: Oneida Co.: W shore of Hinckley Lake near the mouth of Beaver Creek, ca. 1 mi. N of Hinckley, Sep 1967, Howe 3246 (holotype: ?).
Helenium nudiflorum var. purpureum	Helenium nudiflorum Nuttall, var. purpureum Hale ex A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 9: 203. 1874.		TYPE: LOUISIANA: Without data, Leavenworth s.n. (lectotype: NY). Lectotypified by H. Rock, Rhodora 59: 211. 1957.
Helenium polyphyllum	Helenium polyphyllum Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 1291, 1341. 1903.		TYPE: TENNESSEE: Madison Co.: Jackson, Sep 1892, Bain 77 (holotype: NY; isotype: US).
Helenium seminariense	Helenium seminariense Featherman, Rep. S. Centr. Louisiana 1870; Fl. Ludov. 74. 1871.		TYPE: LOUISIANA: Without data (lectotype: GH). Lectotypified by H. Rock, Rhodora 59: 211. 1957.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen
USA	Florida	Gadsden Co.	22 Jun 1956	R. K. Godfrey 54882
USA	Florida	Citrus Co.	05 Jun 1958	R. Kral 6613
USA	Florida	Levy Co.	16 Jun 1958	R. Kral 6998
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	17 Mar 1964	V. Ducey 147
USA	Florida	Citrus Co.	25 May 1983	N. L. Mawhinney 161
USA	Florida	Citrus Co.	27 May 1973	P. Genelle 1885
USA	Florida	Clay Co.	31 May 1981	R. P. Sauleda 5433
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	16 Jun 1983	D. Richardson 1072
USA	Florida	Citrus Co.	26 Aug 2001	M. T. Strong 2777
USA	Florida	Nassau Co.	07 Jul 2000	C. Slaughter 12059
USA	Florida	Hernando Co.	13 Jun 1987	C. vanHoek 60
USA	Florida	Miami-Dade Co.	10 Apr 1961	F. C. Craighead s.n.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	29 May 1961	O. K. Lakela 24149
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	June	A. H. Curtiss 1520
USA	Florida	Pasco Co.	09 Aug 1975	P. Genelle 2190
USA	Florida	Polk Co.	31 May 1979	A.G. Shuey 2222
USA	Florida	Wakulla Co.	05 Jul 1979	B. F. Hansen 5830
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	25 Jun 1977	P. Jourdan s.n.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	24 Oct 1960	V. Ducey 147
USA	Florida	Miami-Dade Co.	16 Mar 1959	F. C. Craighead s.n.
USA	Florida	Calhoun Co.	12 May 2012	T. MacClendon 1173
USA	Louisiana	Union Par.	02 Jun 1979	C. M. Allen 8793
USA	Louisiana	Sabine Par.	20 Jun 1956	M. Hamilton s.n
USA	North Carolina	Haywood Co.	15 Sep 1980	R. P. Sauleda 4513
USA	Louisiana	Webster Par.	04 Jun 1979	C. M. Allen 8926
USA	Louisiana	Lincoln Par.	10 Jun 1978	A. Morris 820
USA	Louisiana	Acadia Par.	01 Apr 1977	K. A. Vincent 870
USA	Louisiana	Webster Par.	16 May 1977	C. M. Allen 8076
USA	Louisiana	Caddo Par.	15 May 1977	C. M. Allen 8009
USA	Louisiana	DeSoto Par.	15 May 1977	C. M. Allen 7961
USA	Tennessee	Cumberland Co.	25 Sep 1966	G. H. Morton 1418
USA	Mississippi	Benton Co.	28 Jul 1955	J. D. Ray, Jr. 5190
USA	Georgia	Rabun Co.	24 Aug 1950	W. H. Duncan 10139
USA	Tennessee	Cumberland Co.	19 Sep 1992	V. E. McNeilus 921029
USA	Alabama	St. Clair Co.	1878	G. R. Vasey s.n
USA	South Carolina	Greenwood Co.	26 Jun 1993	S. R. Hill 25143
USA	Tennessee	Sumner Co.	22 Jun 1968	K. E. Rogers 41827
USA	Louisiana	Grant Par.	13 May 1977	C. M. Allen 7793
USA	Georgia	Hall Co.	26 Jul 1955	W. P. Adams 19207
USA	North Carolina	Columbus Co.	02 Jul 1968	S. W. Leonard 1727
USA	Mississippi	Covington Co.	29 May 1967	S. B. Jones 12578
USA	South Carolina	Horry Co.	29 Jun 1963	R. L. Wilbur 6894
USA	Tennessee	Clay Co.	16 Jul 1991	V. E. McNeilus 91697
USA	North Carolina	Onslow Co.	28 Jun 1963	R. L. Wilbur 6883
USA	Mississippi	Marshall Co.	12 Jul 1956	J. D. Ray, Jr. 6847
USA	Mississippi	Newton Co.	27 Jul 1956	J. D. Ray, Jr. 8240
USA	Mississippi	Tishomingo Co.	08 Aug 1956	J. D. Ray, Jr. 7489
USA	North Carolina	Alexander Co.	16 Jul 1956	A. E. Radford 13935
USA	Louisiana	Vernon Par.	30 Apr 1955	G. R. Cooley 4074
USA	Georgia	Rabun Co.	24 Aug 1950	W. H. Duncan 10139
USA	Louisiana	Winn Par.	13 May 1977	C. M. Allen 7826

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

Filter by County - Counties to Include - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will be found within each of the selected counties.

Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will not be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will not be found within any of the selected counties.

Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

Web Development: USF Water Institute

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org websites

Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Search Help

Select the criterion by which you wish to search (Scientific name, Genus, Family, etc.) and enter that information into the provided field.

Hint: Correct spelling is necessary for desired results, but because this function is a string search the full name need not be entered. Any correct part of a taxon name can be entered and a choice of the correct one made from the small list of resulting matches.

For example, matching the full name exactly in a Scientific Name search for Piptochaetium avenacioides may be difficult, but strings of either tium aven or avenaci or m avenac or pipto will all result in very small lists of matches. The intended name can then be chosen from any of those lists. Usually, the last letter (or two) of a given genus, a space, and the first few correct letters of the specific epithet will provide a sufficiently short list containing the desired taxon.

A similar example in a Common Name search is Virginia snakeroot. Searching using "snake root" will yield no results due to the extra space, but searching "snake" will generate a short list of plants with the word "snake" in the common name. Furthermore, a search of "Virginia snake" or even "nia snak" yields one result: Virginia snakeroot.

If, after following the above advice, then difficulties are still encountered please use the "browse" feature.

Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

Only plant populations vouchered by specimens deposited in Index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ recognized herbaria are represented on this map.