Helenium amarum
| Helenium amarum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Helenium amarum (common name: bitter sneezeweed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.
If you have sufficient seed it would be worthwhile trying a sowing in situ outdoors in mid to late spring.
Cultivation: Grows well in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a fertile moisture retentive soil in a sunny position[2]. Dislikes dry soils[2].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[3].
A good bee and butterfly plant[4].
The whole plant is very aromatic[2].
Range: Eastern N. America - New York to Florida.
Habitat: Open ground, roadsides etc[5]. Open woods, fields, pastures and disturbed areas in Texas[6].
Medicinal: The plant is used to clear the nose of mucus[7]. (Is it used as a snuff?[K])
A decoction of the entire plant can be used in a sweat bath to treat dropsy and swellings[8].
Pollinators: Bees, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant contain the glycoside gudaldin and can cause toxic symptoms in grazing animals. Cows that have eaten even a small amount of the plant produce extremely bitter, distasteful milk, whilst honey from the flowers is said to be bitter[274
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.