Bitterweed
Scientific Name: (Helenium amarum)
Definition: A member of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae), Bitterweed is an annual herb which grows upright in a clump spreading out from the base. The plant grows 4 - 20 inches high. Stems are solitary or few at the base, then branch out quite a bit at the upper part of the stem. Bitterweed gives off a bitter aroma, and though usually avoided by cows, heifers that do eat the herb give very nasty tasting milk. Honey from Bitterweed pollen is said to be bitter and inedible. Flower head is a little more than 1 inch across. It grows alone at the tip of a slender stalk usually 2 - 6 in ches long. 8 yellow petals surround the disk. petals are toothed at the tip and droop down from the center disk. Flower heads are numerous and form a loose cluster across the top, giving Bitterweed its mound like appearance. Blooms April - December.