Helianthus annuus
Common Sunflower
Family AsteraceaeAlso called sunflower
About
The common sunflower is a large annual daisy-family plant grown worldwide for oil and snack seeds, bird and livestock feed, and as a garden ornamental.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Full sun gives the most flowers; partial shade is tolerated. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Fertile, moist, well-drained soil with a heavy mulch.
- Propagation
- From seed sown about 2.5 cm (1 in) deep, spaced about 45 cm apart.
- Mature size
- Typically about 3 m tall.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
An erect annual with a rough, hairy stem usually about 3 m tall (record 10.9 m). Leaves are broad, coarsely toothed and rough, the lower ones largest and often heart-shaped. Wild plants carry several heads; domestic forms often have one large head on an unbranched stem.
Distribution & habitat
Considered native to the central and western United States, southern Canada and northern Mexico, and now found in most regions that are not tropical, desert or tundra. It was domesticated in the Americas and taken to Europe in the 16th century; Russia and Ukraine now produce more than half of the world's seed. Wild plants turn up on dry, open ground and foothills, typically on clay soils that are wet in spring and dry by late summer.
Cultivation notes
Grows best in fertile, moist, well-drained soil with a heavy mulch. Commercial crops are sown about 2.5 cm deep and 45 cm apart. Fusarium and downy mildew are major diseases of the crop.
History & etymology
Helianthus combines the Greek words for sun and flower; annuus is Latin for yearly. Native Americans used it for bread, ointments, dyes and body paint. The oil is used in cooking, margarine, soap and biodiesel.
Conservation
Assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States, Canada, Mexico
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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