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common sunflower, hairy leaf sunflower, sunflower

silverleaf sunflower

Habit Annuals, 100–300 cm. Annuals, 100–300 cm.
Stems

erect, usually hispid.

(silvery white) erect, usually tomentose or floccose.

Leaves

mostly cauline; mostly alternate;

petioles 2–20 cm;

blades lance-ovate to ovate, 10–40 × 5–40 cm, bases cuneate to subcordate or cordate, margins serrate, abaxial faces usually ± hispid, sometimes gland-dotted.

mostly cauline; mostly alternate;

petioles 2–10 cm;

blades ovate to lance-ovate, 15–25 × 10–20 cm, bases truncate to subcordate, margins entire or serrulate, abaxial faces usually floccose, sericeous, or tomentose, gland-dotted.

Peduncles

2–20 cm.

2–8 cm.

Involucres

hemispheric or broader, 15–40(–200+) mm diam.

hemispheric, 20–30 mm diam.

Ray florets

(13–)17–30(–100+);

laminae 25–50 mm.

15–20;

laminae 20–30 mm.

Disc florets

150+(–1000+);

corollas 5–8 mm (throats ± bulbous at bases), lobes usually reddish, sometimes yellow;

anthers brownish to black, appendages yellow or dark (style branches yellow).

150+;

corollas 6.5–7.5 mm, lobes reddish;

anthers dark, appendages dark (style branches reddish).

Phyllaries

20–30(–100+), ovate to lance-ovate, 13–25 × (3–)5–8 mm, (margins usually ciliate) apices abruptly narrowed, long-acuminate, abaxial faces usually hirsute to hispid, rarely glabrate or glabrous, usually gland-dotted.

20–35, ovate to lance-ovate, 15–18 × (2–)5–8 mm, apices long-attenuate, abaxial faces usually densely white-villous, gland-dotted.

Heads

1–9.

1–5.

Cypselae

(3–)4–5(–15) mm, glabrate;

pappi of 2 lanceolate scales 2–3.5 mm plus 0–4 obtuse scales 0.5–1 mm.

4–6 mm, glabrate;

pappi of 2 aristate scales 2–2.7 mm.

Paleae

9–11 mm, 3-toothed (middle teeth long-acuminate, glabrous or hispid).

10–11 mm, 3-toothed (apices glabrous or sparsely villous).

2n

= 34.

= 34.

Helianthus annuus

Helianthus argophyllus

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Open areas Open areas, sandy soils
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) 0–30+ m (0–100+ ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM; Mexico; intoduced nearly worldwide
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; NC; TX [Introduced in South America (Argentina), Africa, Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Helianthus annuus is widely distributed, including weedy, cultivated, and escaped plants. It is the only native North American species to become a major agronomic crop. Despite its considerable variability, attempts have failed to produce a widely adopted infraspecific system of classification. Forms with red-colored ray laminae, known from cultivation and occasionally seen escaped, trace their ancestry to a single original mutant plant. It hybridizes with many of the other annual species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Helianthus argophyllus hybridizes naturally with H. annuus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 149. FNA vol. 21, p. 149.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Helianthinae > Helianthus Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Helianthinae > Helianthus
Sibling taxa
H. agrestis, H. angustifolius, H. anomalus, H. argophyllus, H. arizonensis, H. atrorubens, H. bolanderi, H. californicus, H. carnosus, H. ciliaris, H. cusickii, H. debilis, H. decapetalus, H. deserticola, H. divaricatus, H. eggertii, H. exilis, H. floridanus, H. giganteus, H. glaucophyllus, H. gracilentus, H. grosseserratus, H. heterophyllus, H. hirsutus, H. laciniatus, H. laevigatus, H. longifolius, H. maximiliani, H. microcephalus, H. mollis, H. neglectus, H. niveus, H. nuttallii, H. occidentalis, H. paradoxus, H. pauciflorus, H. petiolaris, H. porteri, H. praecox, H. pumilus, H. radula, H. resinosus, H. salicifolius, H. schweinitzii, H. silphioides, H. simulans, H. smithii, H. strumosus, H. tuberosus, H. verticillatus, H. ×laetiflorus
H. agrestis, H. angustifolius, H. annuus, H. anomalus, H. arizonensis, H. atrorubens, H. bolanderi, H. californicus, H. carnosus, H. ciliaris, H. cusickii, H. debilis, H. decapetalus, H. deserticola, H. divaricatus, H. eggertii, H. exilis, H. floridanus, H. giganteus, H. glaucophyllus, H. gracilentus, H. grosseserratus, H. heterophyllus, H. hirsutus, H. laciniatus, H. laevigatus, H. longifolius, H. maximiliani, H. microcephalus, H. mollis, H. neglectus, H. niveus, H. nuttallii, H. occidentalis, H. paradoxus, H. pauciflorus, H. petiolaris, H. porteri, H. praecox, H. pumilus, H. radula, H. resinosus, H. salicifolius, H. schweinitzii, H. silphioides, H. simulans, H. smithii, H. strumosus, H. tuberosus, H. verticillatus, H. ×laetiflorus
Synonyms H. annuus subsp. jaegeri, H. annuus subsp. lenticularis, H. annuus var. lenticularis, H. annuus var. macrocarpus, H. annuus subsp. texanus, H. aridus, H. jaegeri, H. lenticularis, H. macrocarpus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 904. (1753) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 318. (1842)
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