Flower profile

Bitterweed

Helenium amarum

Native in the lower 48

Bitterweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–November.

27states

9of our state lists

21,380U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas

Quick look

Helenium amarum is a species of annual herb in the daisy family known by the common names yellowdicks, yellow sneezeweed, fiveleaf sneezeweed, and bitter sneezeweed. It is native to much of the south-central United States and northern Mexico, and it is present elsewhere in North America, Australia, and the West Indies as an introduced species.
From Wikipedia's article Helenium amarum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 27 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–November. ^iNaturalist
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 11,649 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #47 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,832 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #101 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,143 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #75 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Bitterweed gift ideas

Handmade bitterweed gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Bitterweed art print
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Bitterweed embroidery pattern
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Bitterweed sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,867 records)

Bloom time in each of our 9 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	April–November	11,649
North Carolina	Native	May–October	1,832
Georgia	Native	May–October	1,143
Alabama	Native	May–October	1,056
Arkansas	Native	May–November	1,010
Oklahoma	Native	May–November	924
South Carolina	Native	May–September	582
Louisiana	Native	June–October	453
Mississippi	Native	June–November	418

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IA (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records bitterweed in 27 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Clay, Coleman, Colorado, Comal, Coryell, Dallas, DeWitt, Deaf Smith, Denton, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Falls, Fayette, Fort Bend, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Hays, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Houston, Hunt, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Karnes, Kaufman, La Salle, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Llano, Lubbock, Lynn, Madison, Mason, Matagorda, McCulloch, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Randall, Refugio, Robertson, Rusk, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Shelby, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Titus, Travis, Tyler, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata, Zavala.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alamance, Alexander, Anson, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Carteret, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Chowan, Clay, Cleveland, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Gaston, Gates, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Iredell, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Martin, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Person, Pitt, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Tyrrell, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson, Yadkin.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baker, Barrow, Bartow, Berrien, Brantley, Charlton, Chatham, Clarke, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Elbert, Floyd, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Harris, Hart, Irwin, Liberty, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, McIntosh, Morgan, Muscogee, Peach, Putnam, Spalding, Taylor, Tift, Treutlen, Worth.