BES-TEX Weed ID Guide · Broadleaf Weeds
Also called Bitter Sneezeweed · Helenium amarum
Common Name
Bitterweed, Bitter Sneezeweed
Latin Name
Helenium amarum
Family
Asteraceae
Life Cycle / Type
Winter annual · Broadleaf
Bitterweed is a winter annual broadleaf weed with fine, narrow leaves and small yellow daisy-like flowers. It commonly appears in thin turf, pastures, roadsides, and unmanaged areas and is well known in Texas for its toxicity to livestock.
Bitterweed germinates as soils cool in the fall.
Below 55°F
Germination begins
Cool winter soils
Continued establishment
Decision Question
Missed fall pre-emergent timing
Bare or disturbed soil
Thin or stressed turf
A healthy, thick lawn is the best defense against weeds.