Common sneezeweed
North American ornamental flowering in late summer and autumn; offers bees moderate nectar and pollen, while the plant itself is toxic to livestock.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,8-1,5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Common sneezeweed is a perennial ornamental from the damp meadows and stream banks of North America, widely grown in European gardens. The disc florets in its globe-shaped yellow-brown centre are regularly visited by honey bees and wild bees; its nectar and pollen contribution is moderate. Its value comes from flowering at the end of the season.
Flowering
It stays in flower from August to October, for about 8 weeks; cutting off faded flowers prolongs this.
Honey and pollen
There is no monofloral honey; it makes a small contribution to the mixed autumn honey of garden apiaries.
Note for the beekeeper
The plant contains bitter, toxic lactone compounds such as helenalin; it is harmful to grazing animals. In North America, Helenium amarum, of the same genus, is known to give honey a bitter taste; there is no reliable information on the honey of this species. In the garden, small groups are enough as a late-season source.