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. 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.

Yellow Single Flowers