Helianthus tuberosus
Helianthus ciliaris
girasole, hélianthe scrofuleux, Jerusalem artichoke, Jerusalem sunflower, rough sunflower, topinambour, tuberous sunflower
blueweed, blueweed sunflower, lakeside sunflower, Texas-blueweed, yerba parda
erect, scabro-hispid to hirsute (sometimes glaucous).
decumbent to ± erect, glabrous or glabrate (glaucous).
mostly cauline; opposite or alternate proximally, usually alternate distally;
petioles 2–8 cm (often ± winged);
blades (3-nerved from near bases) lanceolate to ovate, 10–23 × 7–15 cm, bases broadly to narrowly cuneate, margins entire or serrate (flat), abaxial faces puberulent or hirsutulous to tomentulose and gland-dotted (abaxial) or ± scabrous (adaxial).
cauline; mostly opposite;
sessile;
blades (often bluish green, 1- or 3-nerved) linear to lanceolate, 3–7.5 × 0.5–2.2 cm, bases ± cuneate, margins entire or serrate (usually ciliate and undulate), faces glabrous or glabrate to hispid.
1–15 cm.
(1–)3–13 cm.
hemispheric, (10–25 ×) 8–12 mm.
hemispheric, 12–25 mm diam.
10–20;
laminae 25–40 mm.
10–18;
laminae 8–9 mm.
60+;
corollas 6–7 mm, lobes yellow;
anthers dark brown or black, appendages dark or yellowish.
35+;
corollas 4–6 mm, lobes reddish;
anthers brownish red, appendages brownish red (style branches yellow).
(often dark green, drying nearly black) 22–35 (bases appressed, apices ± spreading, sometimes reflexed in fruit), lanceolate, 8.5–15 × 2–4 mm (subequal), (margins ciliate) apices acuminate, abaxial faces hispidulous or puberulent, gland-dotted.
16–19, ovate to lance-ovate, 3–8 × 2–3.5 mm, (margins ciliate) apices obtuse to acute, abaxial faces glabrate to ± strigose, not gland-dotted.
3–15.
1–5.
5–7 mm, glabrous or distally hairy;
pappi of 2 aristate scales 1.9–3 mm plus 0–1 deltate scales 0.5–0.8 mm.
3–3.5 mm, glabrous;
pappi of 2 aristate scales 1.2–1.5 mm.
8–9 mm, 3-toothed (apices hairy).
7–7.5 mm, subentire to 3-toothed (apices obtuse to acute, hairy, gland-dotted).
= 102.
= 68, 102.
Helianthus tuberosus
Helianthus ciliaris
Helianthus tuberosus is variable, probably in part stemming from hybridization with other polyploids, including H. pauciflorus, H. resinosus, and H. strumosus. Helianthus tuberosus is so widely spread as a weedy species that its original distribution is difficult to discern. It has been used as a food plant for its tubers by native Americans (although not necessarily domesticated or even cultivated); it has been developed as a crop primarily in Europe, where it has become widely naturalized. The common name Jerusalem artichoke is a misnomer, as explained by C. B. Heiser (1976).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Helianthus ciliaris is considered a noxious weed in some states. It can propagate vegetatively from detached pieces of rhizome and spread aggressively, especially in cultivated fields. It has been noted to occur in Idaho and Washington, where control measures have been taken to eliminate it.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
CA
