Helianthus decapetalus | |
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Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Washington, D.C. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Helianthus |
Species: | H. decapetalus |
Binomial name | |
Helianthus decapetalus | |
Helianthus decapetalus, known by the common names thinleaf sunflower [3] and thin-leaved sunflower, [4] is a perennial forb in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Eastern and Central United States and Canada, from New Brunswick west to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ontario, south as far as Georgia and Louisiana. [5] [6] It produces yellow composite flowers in late summer or early fall.
The name decapetalus means "with ten petals", referring to the 8-12 ray florets on the flower heads, resembling petals.
The smooth slender stem of H. decapetalus is 60 to 200 cm (2 to 7 ft) tall and branched near the top. The ovate or lanceolate leaves are borne on 2- to 5-cm-long petioles and have serrated edges. They are 7 to 21 cm long and 4 to 10 cm wide. It has three to 10 flowerheads; each flowerhead is composed of 21 to 50 disk florets, and eight to 12 ray florets, which are 2.0 to 2.5 cm long. The bracts are typically 11 to 16 mm long, surpassing the flower disk by at least half their length. The fruit are 3.5- to 5.0-mm-long cypselae with a pappus of two scales. [7] [8] [9]
In Virginia, it grows in habitats such as floodplain forests and riverbanks. [10] Its native habitats include woodland and forest edges. [11] The presence of this species is dependent on appropriate habitat, and it may be eliminated from an area by development, changes in land use, or competition with invasive species.
The flowers attract many kinds of insects, including bees and butterflies, some of which, such as the painted lady and the silvery checkerspot, use the plant as a larval host. The seeds provide a source of food for birds. [12] Muskrats eat the leaves and stems and use the stems in the construction of their lodges. [9]
Echinacea angustifolia, the narrow-leaved purple coneflower or blacksamson echinacea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread across much of the Great Plains of central Canada and the central United States, with additional populations in surrounding regions.
Symphyotrichum laeve is a flowering plant native to Canada, the United States, and Coahuila (Mexico). It has the common names of smooth blue aster, smooth aster, smooth-leaved aster, glaucous Michaelmas-daisy and glaucous aster.
Gaillardia aristata is a North American species of flowering plant in the sunflower family, known by the common names common blanketflower and common gaillardia. This perennial wildflower is widespread across much of North America, from Yukon east to Québec and south as far as California, Arizona, Illinois, and Connecticut, although it may be naturalized rather than native in parts of that range. It is also naturalized in scattered locations in Europe, Australia, and South America.
Helianthus bolanderi is a species of sunflower known by the common names Bolander's sunflower and serpentine sunflower. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows mainly in mountainous areas, often in serpentine soils. It has been found from southwestern Oregon as well as in northern and central California as far south as Santa Cruz County, with reports of a few isolated populations in southern California.
Helianthus divaricatus, commonly known as the rough sunflower, woodland sunflower, or rough woodland sunflower, is a North American species perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is native to central and eastern North America, from Ontario and Quebec in the north, south to Florida and Louisiana and west to Oklahoma and Iowa.
Helianthus grosseserratus, commonly known as sawtooth sunflower or thick-tooth sunflower, is a perennial sunflower in the family Asteraceae, with a large flowering head (inflorescence).
Symphyotrichum ascendens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names western aster, long-leaved aster, and Rocky Mountain aster. Blooming July–September, it is native to western North America and can be found at elevations of 500–3,200 m (1,600–10,500 ft) in several habitats.
Balsamorhiza sagittata is a North American species of flowering plant in the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae known by the common name Arrowleaf Balsamroot. Also sometimes called Oregon sunflower, it is widespread across western Canada and much of the western United States.
Heliopsis helianthoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, known by the common names rough oxeye, smooth oxeye and false sunflower. It is native to eastern and central North America from Saskatchewan east to Newfoundland and south as far as Texas, New Mexico, and Georgia.
Doellingeria infirma, the cornel-leaf whitetop or cornel-leaved aster, is a perennial forb native to the eastern United States, that produces white composite flowers in late summer.
Sericocarpus linifolius, the narrowleaf whitetop aster or flax leaf whitetop, is a perennial forb native to the eastern United States, that produces white composite flowers in summer.
Cardamine douglassii, the limestone bittercress or purple cress, is a perennial forb native to the eastern and central United States as well as the province of Ontario in Canada, that produces white to pink or purple flowers in early spring.
Antennaria plantaginifolia is a perennial forb native to the eastern North America, that produces cream colored composite flowers in spring.
Sagittaria graminea, the grassy arrowhead or grass-leaved arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to eastern North America.
Carex eburnea, known as ivory sedge, ebony sedge, and bristleleaf or bristle-leaved sedge, is a small and slender sedge native to North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland south to central Mexico.
Erigeron poliospermus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names gray-seeded fleabane, purple cushion fleabane, and hairy-seed fleabane. Native to western North America, it is mainly found to the east of the Cascade Range in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Helianthus heterophyllus is a species of sunflower known by the common names variableleaf sunflower and wetland sunflower. It is native to the coastal plain of the southern United States from Texas to North Carolina.
Helianthus strumosus, the pale-leaf woodland sunflower, is a species of sunflower native to North America east of the Great Plains and is in the family Asteraceae. It is a native perennial sunflower that resembles other members of this family including the Pale Sunflower, Woodland Sunflower, Hispid Sunflower, and Jerusalem Artichoke. Pale-leaf sunflowers can be found in a diverse range of habitats including woodland areas, prairies, and meadows, providing that these habitats have access to partial sun.
Helianthus laciniatus is a North American species of sunflower known by the common name alkali sunflower. It is found in the southwestern United States and north-central Mexico. It is fairly common in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Helianthus salicifolius is a North American species of sunflower known by the common name willowleaf sunflower. It is native to the central United States, primarily in the Great Plains and Ozark Plateau. There are a few reports of scattered populations in the Northeast and Midwest parts of the country, but these appear to be escapes from cultivation.