Helenium elegans is a North American perennial plant in the Sunflower Family, commonly known as pretty sneezeweed. It is native to the south-central United States and to northeastern Mexico.Helenium elegans is an annual herb up to 120 cm (4 feet) tall. Stems have wings, meaning that they have flaps of tissue running down the sides. One plant can produce 200 or more small flower heads, in branching arrays.