States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Yellow Sneezeweed

Helenium amarum

Found in roadsides, overgrazed pastures, urban areas; in much of our area an introduction from farther west. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

66
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 3 feet
Spread
9 inches–1.25 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
May to December

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 67 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Helenium

  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
  • Nathalis ioleDainty Sulphur, Dwarf Yellow
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Carmenta ithacae
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
48BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Helenium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
14Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Helenium

  • Andrena beameri
  • Calliopsis coloradensis
  • Dianthidium curvatum
  • Dieunomia bolliana
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile parallela
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes boltoniae
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes druriellus
Show all 14
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes manipularis
  • Melissodes wheeleri
  • Paranthidium jugatorium
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3–10
Flower color
Yellow

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources