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- ›Helianthinae
sunflowers
Helianthus
Helianthus () is a genus comprising around 50 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. The species of Helianthus are native to North America. The best-known species is the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus). This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are cultivated in temperate regions and some tropical regions, as food crops for humans, cattle, and poultry, and as ornamental plants. The species H. annuus typically grows during the summer and into early fall, with the peak growth season being mid-summer.
Several perennial Helianthus species are grown in gardens, but have a tendency to spread rapidly and can become aggressive. On the other hand, the whorled sunflower, Helianthus verticillatus, was listed as an endangered species in 2014 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule protecting it under the Endangered Species Act. The primary threats to this species are industrial forestry and pine plantations in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. They grow to 1.8 metres (6 feet) and are primarily found in woodlands, adjacent to creeks and moist, prairie-like areas.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Common Sunflower
speciesHelianthus annuus
Jerusalem artichoke
speciesHelianthus tuberosus
woodland sunflower
speciesHelianthus divaricatus
Maximilian sunflower
speciesHelianthus maximiliani
cucumberleaf sunflower
speciesHelianthus debilis
prairie sunflower
speciesHelianthus petiolaris
narrowleaf sunflower
speciesHelianthus angustifolius
sawtooth sunflower
speciesHelianthus grosseserratus
stiff-hair sunflower
speciesHelianthus hirsutus
pale-leaved woodland sunflower
speciesHelianthus strumosus
pale sunflower
speciesHelianthus decapetalus
ashy sunflower
speciesHelianthus mollis
giant sunflower
speciesHelianthus giganteus
Stiff Sunflower
speciesHelianthus pauciflorus
slender sunflower
speciesHelianthus gracilentus
Small Woodland Sunflower
speciesHelianthus microcephalus
Little Sunflower
speciesHelianthus pumilus
fewleaf sunflower
speciesHelianthus occidentalis
Purpledisk Sunflower
speciesHelianthus atrorubens
Silverleaf Sunflower
speciesHelianthus argophyllus
Texas blueweed
speciesHelianthus ciliaris
Nuttall's Sunflower
speciesHelianthus nuttallii
Rayless Sunflower
speciesHelianthus radula
showy sunflower
speciesHelianthus niveus
Porter's sunflower
speciesHelianthus porteri
Texas Sunflower
speciesHelianthus praecox
Variableleaf Sunflower
speciesHelianthus heterophyllus
Alkali Sunflower
speciesHelianthus laciniatus
Willowleaf Sunflower
speciesHelianthus salicifolius
serpentine sunflower
speciesHelianthus exilis
California sunflower
speciesHelianthus californicus
Resindot Sunflower
speciesHelianthus resinosus
Southeastern Sunflower
speciesHelianthus agrestis
perennial sunflower
hybridHelianthus × laetiflorus
Cusick's Sunflower
speciesHelianthus cusickii
Schweinitz's Sunflower
speciesHelianthus schweinitzii
Rosinweed Sunflower
speciesHelianthus silphioides
Longleaf Sunflower
speciesHelianthus longifolius
Muck Sunflower
speciesHelianthus simulans
Bolander's Sunflower
speciesHelianthus bolanderi
Pecos Sunflower
speciesHelianthus paradoxus
Florida Sunflower
speciesHelianthus floridanus
Eggert's Sunflower
speciesHelianthus eggertii
dune sunflower
speciesHelianthus deserticola
Whorled Sunflower
speciesHelianthus verticillatus
Smith's Sunflower
speciesHelianthus smithiorum
Smooth Sunflower
speciesHelianthus laevigatus
Waccamaw Sunflower
speciesHelianthus waccamawensis
Winter’s Sunflower
speciesHelianthus winteri
flatwoods sunflower
speciesHelianthus carnosus
Red Rock sunflower
speciesHelianthus devernii
Neglected Sunflower
speciesHelianthus neglectus
Western Sunflower
speciesHelianthus anomalus
newhall sunflower
speciesHelianthus inexpectatus
Whiteleaf Sunflower
speciesHelianthus glaucophyllus
Thin-leaved Sunflower
hybridHelianthus × multiflorus
Arizona Sunflower
speciesHelianthus arizonensis
Helianthus × luxurians
hybridHelianthus × luxurians
Helianthus × glaucus
hybridHelianthus × glaucus
Helianthus speciosus
speciesHelianthus speciosus
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Helianthus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 56955.