Bitterweed ( Helenium amarum )

New Hanover Cooperative Extension Al Hight, Director

Pronunciation key ( bit′ẽr-wēd′ )

bit•ter•weed

n.

A kind of ragweed.

Based on comparative factors at the usflowers database

this species appears to be Helenium amarum.

Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom	Plantae – Vegetal, plants
Subkingdom	Viridaeplantae – green plants
Infrakingdom	Streptophyta – land plants
Division	Tracheophyta – vascular plants, tracheophytes
Subdivision	Spermatophytina – spermatophytes, seed plants
Infradivision	Angiospermae – flowering plants, angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida
Superorder	Asteranae
Order	Asterales
Family	Asteraceae – sunflowers
Genus	Helenium L. – sneezeweed
Species	Helenium amarum (Raf.) H. Rock – yellowdicks, bitter sneezeweed
Direct Children:
Variety	Helenium amarum var. amarum (Raf.) H. Rock – yellowdicks
Variety	Helenium amarum var. badium (A. Gray ex S. Watson) Waterf. – yellowdicks, basin sneezeweed
Helenium amarum, (Raf.) H. Rock, Taxonomic Serial No.: 36007

 

The weed with a long brown stem seen in this photo is a "buckhorn plantain".

 

References

Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (College Edition) ©1955

uswildflowers.com, Bitterweed, Bitter Sneezeweed, Yellowdicks - Helenium amarum

Helenium amarum, (Raf.) H. Rock, Taxonomic Serial No.: 36007