Sunflower (7)
Sunflowers follow the sun, facing east in the morning and west by sunset. They share bright yellow flower heads. The shape of the leaves, their habitat and their phyllaries, which circle the underside of the flower head, differentiate them.
Little Sunflower
Helianthella quinquenervis
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Aspen Sunflower, Five-nerve Helianthella
Photo taken on:
August 14, 2005
Location:
West Maroon Trail, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist meadows and woods
Grows to 4 feet tall with a single flower per stalk. The flower has a yellow disk. The leaves have five prominent veins.
Flora of North America reference.
One-flowered Little Sunflower
Helianthella uniflora
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Aspen Sunflower, Oneflower Helianthella
Photo taken on:
July 7, 2010
Location:
Cement Creek, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to subalpine
Habitat:
Clearings in woods, trail sides
Grows to 3 feet tall with a single flower head per stalk. The leaves are usually three-veined compared to the Five-nerved Little Sunflower.
Flora of North America reference.
Stiff Sunflower
Helianthus pauciflorus
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Prairie Sunflower, Few-leaved Sunflower
Photo taken on:
September 18, 2011
Location:
Wet Mountains, Eastern CO
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry disturbed soil, roadsides
Grows to 4 feet tall with a dark red-brown disk, 10 to 20 rays and reddish, bristly stems that are leafless at the top. Leaves are oval to lance-shaped and rough with short stalks. Phyllaries are oval, pointed and hairy.
Flora of North America reference.
Prairie Sunflower
Helianthus petiolaris
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Plains Sunflower, Petioled Sunflower
Photo taken on:
October 1, 2019
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Disturbed soil, roadsides,
open sunny areas
Grows over 3 feet tall with a hairy stem and 7 to 15 rays. Leaves are bluish-green and lance-shaped with long stalks. Phyllaries are lance-shaped and hairy. The center of the dark red-brown disk has a touch of white.
Flora of North America reference.
Common Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Annual Sunflower
Photo taken on:
October 11, 2010
Location:
Bandelier National Monument, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Disturbed soil, roadsides
Grows to 9ft tall, widely branching, with reddish, hairy stems. Leaves are heart-shaped, rough and coarsely toothed with long stalks. The disk is reddish-purple. Phyllaries are broad and oval.
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Flora of North America reference.
These plants growing in the wild have escaped from one of the many cultivated varieties of H. annuus. These varieties range in size from 3 feet to over 8 feet tall. Many of the cultivated plants do not grow true from seed and will eventually revert back to the wild type plants over a few generations.
Maximilian's Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
September 24, 2015
Location:
Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Moist areas, ditches, stream sides
Grows un-branched to 10 feet tall with numerous flower heads and narrow, light green, folded leaves that are up to 12" long and curve downwards from the stem. Flowers are 2-3" across. The ray and disk flowers are yellow surrounded by long, slender, pointed bristly bracts.
Flora of North America reference.
Small Woodland Sunflower
Helianthus microcephalus
Family:
Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA:
Woodlands Sunflower
Photo taken on:
September 21, 2014
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Open woodlands, roadsides
Grows from 8" to 48" with smooth stems except below the flower head. Leaves are lance-shaped. Flower heads are less than 2" across and have only 5-8 rays and lance-shaped phyllaries with bristly edges and 15-20 yellow disk florets. This species has not been collected in New Mexico but it keys out.
Flora of North America reference.