Wikimedia Commons
Asteraceae
Prairie Sunflower
Helianthus petiolaris
Warmth and loyalty.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Helianthus
- Native to
- United States, Canada, Mexico
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 1-4 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- sandy, well-drained, dry
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 2-11
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Prairie sunflower hybridizes naturally with the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and this cross contributed genes to cultivated sunflowers.
- The flower heads track the sun from east to west during the day, a behavior called heliotropism, but only in young plants.
- It thrives in sandy soils where few other plants survive, often colonizing sand dunes and disturbed sandy areas.
- Goldfinches time their nesting season to coincide with sunflower seed maturation, relying on the seeds to feed their young.
- Native Americans used the seeds for food and extracted oil for cooking, hair dressing, and ceremonial body paint.
Color meanings
0
adoration
1
loyalty
2
longevity