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Purplehead Sneezeweed

Helenium flexuosum

Found in moist pastures, moist forests, riverbanks, wet pine rocklands (in s. FL). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

67
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
May to August
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 6 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Care

  • Optional bloom tip: Removing spent flowers can encourage more blooms.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Helenium

  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
  • Papaipema impecuniosaAster Borer
  • Papaipema rigidaRigid Sunflower Borer
  • 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 5a–9b
Flower color
Brown/copper or purple
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources