Helianthus microcephalus - (image 1 of 5)
Taxonomy
Family: Asteraceae
Habitat
Woods and shrublands.
Associates
Distribution
NJ to northwest FL, west to southern MN, eastern AR, and southeast LA.
Morphology
Herbaceous perennial with fibrous roots, crown-buds and a short rhizome; stems 1-2 m, glabrous and usually glaucous; leaves scabrous above, resin-dotted and usually also loosely short-hairy underneath, sometimes also glaucous, lanceolate or lance-ovate, 7-15+ cm long, toothed or entire, gradually tapering distally, abruptly narrowed to a 1-3 cm petiole; upper leaves alternate; heads on long, slender peduncles, small; disk yellow, 5-10 mm wide; rays yellow, 5-10(-13); involucral bracts few, lanceolate, acuminate or attenuate, ciliolate, otherwise more or less glabrous.
Notes
Flowers August to September
Wetland indicator: FACU
This species has fewer rays than most other species of sunflower. The butterfly in the last image is a meadow fritillary (Boloria bellona).
References
Gleason, Henry A.
and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States
and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
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Michael Hough © 2018 |