The common sunflower is native to North America, where wild plants can grow beside roads and in other open places. Garden and crop varieties may have one huge flower head, while wild plants often branch into several heads.
Appearance
- Growth form
- This grows upright; height varies greatly between wild plants and cultivated varieties.
- Leaves
- The broad, toothed leaves feel rough.
- Flowers
- Each head holds many tiny flowers: yellow, petal-like flowers around the edge and flowers that form fruit in the center.
- Flowering time
- In much of the United States, flowers appear from summer into early fall, depending on location and planting time.
- Fruit
- The center flowers produce the familiar seedlike fruits. Varieties have been selected for oil or for seeds to eat.
Look-alikes
Black-eyed SusanRudbeckia hirta
Both have yellow rays around a dark center. Black-eyed Susan usually has a smaller head with a raised, cone-shaped center; common sunflower has broader, rough leaves and often a much larger head.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- open ground
- roadsides
- fields and gardens
- Range
- It is native across much of North America and is also planted widely in the United States.
- Preferred conditions
- It grows best in full sun.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- Dwarf, branching, and densely petaled garden varieties all belong to this species.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Native peoples of North America domesticated sunflower long before its global spread.