Bigelow's Sneezeweed

Perennials, 30–130 cm. Stems 1–3(–10), unbranched or sparingly branched distally, weakly to moderately winged, glabrous proximally, glabrous or sparsely hairy distally. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy; basal blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, entire; proximal and mid blades lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, entire; distal blades linear to lanceolate, entire. Heads 1–20 per plant, borne singly or in paniculiform arrays. Peduncles (6–)10–30 cm, sparsely to moderately hairy. Involucres hemispheric to globoid, 12–20 × (14–)17–22(–25) mm. Phyllaries (connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy. Ray florets 14–20, pistillate, fertile; corollas yellow, 13–25 × 5–10(–12) mm. Disc florets 250–500(–800+); corollas yellow proximally, yellow to brown to purple distally, 3–4.4(–4.8) mm, lobes 5. Cypselae 1.8–2.4 mm, moderately hairy; pappi of 6–8 entire, aristate scales 1.3–2.2(–2.7) mm. 2n = 32.

Helenium bigelovii A. Gray, in Torr. Pacif. R. R. Rep. 4: 107
1857.
Heleniastrum Bigelovii Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 342. 1891. Heleniastrum occidentale Greene, Man. Bay Reg. 202. 1894.
A rather simple perennial; stem 5-10 dm. high, erect, sparingly short-pubescent with
crisp hairs or glabrous; lower leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 1-2 dm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, thick,
strongly glandular-punctate, glabrate or puberulent; stem-leaves narrowly lanceolate; heads
radiate, solitary or 2 or 3, long-peduncled; peduncles 1-3 dm. long, thickened upwards; bracts
lanceolate-subulate, 8-10 mm. long; ray-flowers pistillate; ligules yellow, 10-12 mm. long,
5-7 mm. wide; disk 15-20 mm. broad; corollas about 4 mm. long; tube less than 1 mm. long;
achenes 2 mm. long, hispid on the ribs; squamellae 2 mm. long, lanceolate, attenuate into
an awn-point.
Type locality: Swamps near Santa Rosa Creek. California. Distribution: Oregon to southern California and western Arizona.

Helenium rivulare (Greene) Rydberg
Heleniastrum rivulare Greene, Fl. Franc. 435. 1897.
A rather simple perennial; stem 4-8 dm. high, sparingly crisp-hairy or glabrous; lower leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 1-1.5 cm. long, thin, glabrous, not conspicuously punctate, entire; stem-leaves mostly linear-lanceolate, strongly ascending; heads radiate, solitary or 2-4, long-peduncled ; peduncles 1-2 dm. long; bracts lance-subulate, 5-6 mm. long; ray-flowers pistillate; ligules yellow, 10-15 mm. long, 6-8 mm. wide; disk 15-18 mm. broad, depressedglobose; corollas nearly 4 mm. long; achenes 2 mm. long, hispid on the ribs; squamellae 2 mm. long, lanceolate, awn-tipped.
Type locality: Coast Range, California. Distribution: California.

Bigelow sneezeweed as dominant flower in a mountain meadow

Helenium bigelovii is a North American perennial plant in the sunflower family, commonly known as Bigelow's sneezeweed. It grows in moist areas such as meadows, marshes, or streamsides. It is found at moderate and higher elevations (3000-10,000 ft) in the foothills and mountains of California and Oregon: Cascades, Coast Ranges, Klamath Mountains, Sierra Nevada, etc. Cultivars of the species are used in gardening as ornamentals.

Helenium bigelovii is a perennial herb sometimes as much as 130 cm (51 in; 4.5 ft) tall. One plant can produce as many as 20 flower heads, either one per branch or in branching arrays. Each head has 14-20 yellow ray florets (bending backwards and with teeth at the tips) surrounding sometimes as many as 800 disc florets (yellow at first, turning brown as they get older).

The species is named for J.M. Bigelow, a plant collector on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey in the 1850s.