There are a good many kinds of Helenium, natives of North and Central
America.
[Sidenote: =Sneeze-weed=
_Helènium Bigelòwii_
=Yellow
Summer, autumn
Cal., Oreg.=]
A handsome plant, with a roughish stem, from two to four feet tall, and
toothless, rather coarse leaves, rougher on the underside, the lower
part of the leaf grown to the stem along its middle in a curious way.
The flowers are from an inch and a half to two inches across, with
bright golden-yellow rays and a rich-brown center, powdered with yellow
pollen, and the budding flower heads look like brown buttons. This
grows in meadows and along streams, at moderate altitudes, and is found
in Yosemite.
[Sidenote: _Hymenopáppus lùteus_
=Yellow
Summer
Ariz., New Mex., Col., Utah=]
A pretty and rather unusual-looking plant, with a cluster of
root-leaves, gray-green and downy, cut into many fine divisions, and
slender stems, about a foot tall, with two or three, narrow, alternate,
toothless leaves, and bearing at the top a few pretty, bright yellow
flower-heads, nearly an inch across, with tube-shaped flowers only.
This grows in dry, open places.
There are many kinds of Madia, sticky, heavy-scented herbs, commonly
called Tarweed and called Madi in Chili. They are used medicinally by
Spanish-Californians.
[Sidenote: _Common Madia, Tarweed_ _Màdia élegans_
=Yellow
Summer, autumn
West=]
Pretty flowers, with hairy stems, from six inches to three feet tall,
and velvety or hairy leaves, more or less sticky and the upper ones
alternate. The flowers grow in loose clusters and are from one to over
two inches across, with bright yellow rays, sometimes with a spot of
maroon at the base which gives an extremely pretty effect, and a yellow
or maroon center. This often makes pretty patches of color in sandy
places, and is widely distributed and very variable. Woodland Madia,
_M. madioìdes_, is similar, but not so pretty.
[Sidenote: =Gum-weed=
_Màdia dissitiflòra_
=Yellow
Summer
California=]
A slender plant, over a foot tall, with hairy stem and leaves, which
are aromatic when crushed, and rather pretty little flowers, about half
an inch across, with pale yellow rays, yellow centers specked with
black, and sticky-hairy involucres. This grows along roadsides and the
edges of woods.
[Illustration: Madia--M. elegans.
Hymenopappus luteus.
Sneeze Weed--Helenium Bigelowii.