Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 18, 2026

Helenium mexicanum

Helenium mexicanum is a Mesoamerican perennial plant in the sunflower family, common name cabezona. It is native to Mexico and Central America, from Sonora and San Luis Potosí south as far as Costa Rica.

Last revised
Jun 18, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
228 w
Citations
5
Source
Helenium mexicanum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Helenium
Species:
H. mexicanum
Binomial name
Helenium mexicanum
Kunth 1818
Synonyms1
  • Heleniastrum mexicanum (Kunth) Kuntze
  • Helenium centrale Rydb.

Helenium mexicanum is a Mesoamerican perennial plant in the sunflower family, common name cabezona. It is native to Mexico and Central America, from Sonora and San Luis Potosí south as far as Costa Rica.234

Helenium mexicanum is a perennial herb up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall. One can produce several yellow flower heads, each on its own thin flower stalk. Each head has an almost spherical center covered with many small disc flowers, each one yellow at the base and coffee-brown or red at the tip. There are also 1–17 yellow ray flowers around the edge.5

References

References

  1. The Plant List, Helenium mexicanum Kunth
  2. Turner, B. L. 2013. The comps of Mexico. A systematic account of the family Asteraceae (chapter 11: tribe Helenieae). Phytologia Memoirs 16: 1–100
  3. Nelson, C. H. 2008. Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares de Honduras 1–1576. Secretaria de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente, Tegucigalpa
  4. Strother, J. L. 1999. Compositae–Heliantheae s. l. 5: 1–232. In D.E. Breedlove (ed.) Flora of Chiapas. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
  5. Conabio, Helenium mexicanum Kunth Cabezofna, Identificación y descripción description in Spanish
External links