Search / Plant Profile / Helenium arizonicum

Plant Profile

Arizona Sneezeweed (Helenium arizonicum)

Helenium arizonicum near Flagstaff, Arizona Photo Credit: Sheila Murray

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Asteraceae
State: AZ
Nature Serve ID: 133232
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Arizona Sneezeweed is a water-loving herb with sunflower yellow, 3-lobed ray flowers and purplish brown, globular disk flowers. Leaves are few, dark green and strap-like. Stems are slender and tinged red near the base.

Where is Arizona Sneezeweed (Helenium arizonicum) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Roadsides and clearings in ponderosa forests (Epple 1995). Occurring at elevations of 1800-2400 m, usually in regions of pine forests, especially around wet places such as bogs, ponds, lakes, and roadside ditches (Bierner 1972).

Distribution:

Endemic to north-central Arizona, known almost exclusively from Coconino County, but also found in southern Apache, Gila, and possibly Navajo Counties (McDougall 1973 and Bierner 1972).

States & Provinces:

Arizona Sneezeweed can be found in Arizona

Which CPC Partners conserve Arizona Sneezeweed (Helenium arizonicum)?

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 11/11/17

National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (USDA-ARS)

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 10/07/21

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Sheila Murray

11/14/2022

Helenium arizonicum is a tall herbaceous annual commonly called Arizona Sneezeweed. This species is endemic to northern Arizona, and is only found in places that have ephemeral or perennial water. It's often found growing directly out of the water in puddles or small ponds. With the lingering drought in the Southwest, the species may be in decline. However, recent rain in 2022 produced a moderate population size for us to collect seeds for long-term storage.

Center for Plant Conservation

10/07/2021

In 2018 two seed collections from the Coconino National Forest were made by the Arboretum at Flagstaff for the USFS Rare Plant Seed Banking Agreement.

Center for Plant Conservation

10/07/2021

In accordance with the CPC and USFS Rare Plant Seed Banking Agreement, in 2018 14 maternal lines from one population and 50 maternal lines from a second population were collected at Coconino National Forest. Seeds were divided for storage between The Arboretum at Flagstaff and the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, CO.

Center for Plant Conservation

10/07/2021

In accordance with the CPC and USFS Rare Plant Seed Banking Agreement, in 2017 50 maternal lines per population were collected from 3 separate populations at Coconino National Forest. Seed quantity varied from ~2000-6000 seeds. Seeds were divided and duplicated between The Arboretum at Flagstaff and the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, CO.

Center for Plant Conservation

10/07/2021

In a five-year collaboration between US Forest Service (USFS) and Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), rare plant populations located on Region 3 USFS land were identified, seed collected, and banked through CPC’s network of botanical gardens. In 2017, Sheila Murray, with assistance from volunteers and Dr. Kris Haskins, made three seed collections of Helenium arizonicum.