Virginia sneezeweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Virginia sneezeweed |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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| Genus: |
Helenium
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| Species: |
H. virginicum
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| Binomial name | |
| Helenium virginicum S.F.Blake
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Helenium virginicum, also known as Virginia sneezeweed, is a special and rare flowering plant. It belongs to the aster family, which includes many well-known flowers. This plant grows in only two places in the United States: Virginia and Missouri. It needs a very specific type of home to grow. Because its home is changing, this plant is considered threatened. The United States government officially listed it as a threatened species in 1998.
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Where Does Virginia Sneezeweed Live?
When the plant first got federal protection, it was found in 28 spots. These spots were all in two counties in Virginia. Soon after, similar plants were found in Missouri. Scientists used genetic testing to confirm they were the same species.
More searches found 44 places where the plant grew in Missouri. These were in six different counties in the Ozark Highlands. It's unusual for a plant to grow in two places so far apart. This is called a disjunct distribution. Scientists think this happened a long time ago, during the Pleistocene Ice Age. Large glaciers might have split the plant's original home. This left two separate groups of plants.
How Can You Spot Virginia Sneezeweed?
Virginia sneezeweed looks a lot like another common plant, Helenium autumnale. It's easy to mistake them! This plant is a perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years. It usually grows between 70 centimeters and 1.1 meters tall (about 28 to 44 inches). Sometimes, it can even reach 1.7 meters (about 5 and a half feet) tall!
The plant has a group of leaves at its base, called a rosette. It also has a straight stem with "wings" along its sides. This stem is covered with lance-shaped leaves. The leaves get smaller as they go up the stem.
At the top of the plant, you'll see several flower heads. Each flower head has a round center. This center is covered with tiny yellow disc florets. Around the edge, there are bright yellow ray florets. These look like petals and are about a centimeter (0.4 inches) long. Virginia sneezeweed blooms from July all the way through October.
Why Is Its Habitat Special?
Virginia sneezeweed only grows near special ponds. These are called sinkhole ponds. You can find them in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri. They also grow on the western edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.
These ponds have a bottom made of clay or bedrock. They fill with water from about January to June or July each year. Some ponds are actual holes in the ground. Others are more like very wet meadows. Often, farm animals like cattle graze in these ponds. The plants can handle this disturbance.
The amount of water in these sinkholes changes. It varies with the seasons and from year to year. This causes the number of sneezeweed plants to change too. It also affects how many new plants grow each year.
What Threats Does It Face?
The biggest danger to Virginia sneezeweed is changes to its home. If the sinkhole ponds are destroyed, the plant could disappear forever. Protecting these special places is very important.
