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common sunflower

Bolander's sunflower

Habit Plants annual, 10–30 dm. Plants annual, 6–15 dm.
Stems

erect, pustulose-hispid.

erect, pustulose-hispid to setose or villous.

Leaves

mostly alternate;

proximal pairs usually opposite, triangular to ovate or lanceolate, 3–30+ cm, bases truncate or rounded to attenuate;

margins entire to serrate-dentate or denticulate;

tips acute;

surfaces spiculate or pustulose-hispid, sometimes setose on veins;

petioles 1–7 cm.

mostly alternate; ovate to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 3–15 cm, bases wedge-shaped or attenuate;

margins entire or denticulate to serrulate;

tips acute;

surfaces hispid or strigose, petiolate, becoming sessile distally;

petioles 1–4 cm.

Involucres

hemispheric, 15–40+ mm in diameter.

hemispheric, 17–25 mm diameter.

Ray florets

12–30+;

rays 25–50 mm.

12–17;

rays 14–20 mm.

Disc florets

50+;

corollas 5–8 mm;

throats ± bulbous at base, gradually widened distally;

lobes usually reddish;

anthers dark;

style appendages yellow to dark.

75+;

corollas 5–7 mm;

throats slightly widened distally;

lobes usually reddish.

Phyllaries

20–30(10) in 3+ series; ovate to lance-ovate, 10–25 × 5–8 mm;

margins hispid-ciliate;

tips acuminate;

surfaces scabrous or hispid, rarely glabrous; outer gradually shorter.

10–18 in 2–3 series, lanceolate or lance-ovate, 9–25 × 3–5 mm;

margins strigose-ciliate;

tips acuminate;

surfaces pustulose-hispid to strigose or silky-villous; outer nearly equal to inner or sometimes much enlarged and bract-like.

Fruits

3–10+ mm, glabrate, pappi of 2 lanceolate scales, 2–3.5 mm, with 0–4 additional smaller scales.

3.5–4.5 mm, glabrate, pappi of 2 lanceolate scales, 1.5–3 mm.

Heads

solitary to numerous.

solitary to numerous.

Paleae

glabrous or hispid; inner tips 3-toothed.

glabrous; inner tips 3-toothed.

2n

=34.

=34.

Helianthus annuus

Helianthus bolanderi

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Shrublands, pastures, banks of rivers and lakes, marshes, roadsides, disturbed areas. Flowering Jun–Sep. 0–1600 m. BR, BW, Col, CR, ECas, Lava, Owy, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America. Native.

Helianthus annuus is one of the few North American natives to become a major cultivated crop. Sunflower seeds were exported from North America as early as the 16th century and are grown in much of the world both for their seeds and oil.

Open fields, roadsides. Flowering Jul–Oct. 300–1400 m. Sisk. CA. Native.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 281
Kenton Chambers
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 282
Kenton Chambers
Sibling taxa
H. bolanderi, H. cusickii, H. nuttallii, H. petiolaris, H. tuberosus
H. annuus, H. cusickii, H. nuttallii, H. petiolaris, H. tuberosus
Synonyms Helianthus annuus ssp. annuus, Helianthus annuus ssp. lenticularis
Web links