Wikimedia Commons
Asteraceae
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Enduring loyalty and admiration.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Helianthus
- Native to
- Central North America, Great Plains
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- herbaceous
- Height
- 3-10 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, average to poor
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Named after Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, a German explorer who documented it during his 1832-34 expedition along the Missouri River.
- A single plant can produce 20 to 40 flower heads arranged in a dramatic spiral along the upper stem.
- Native American tribes, including the Lakota, used the tuberous roots as a food source and the petals to make yellow dye.
- It is one of the latest-blooming native sunflowers, providing critical nectar for migrating monarch butterflies in autumn.
- The plants spread vigorously through underground rhizomes and can form dense stands that stabilize prairie soils against erosion.
Color meanings
0
loyalty
1
admiration
2
longevity
3
adoration