Plant Index


 
 
 
 

Helianthus microcephalus

Helianthus microcephalus Torr. & A. Gray

small-headed sunflower, small woodland sunflower

Helianthus microcephalus (Small-headed Sunflower)
Image ID: 25892
Image by: Oglesby, Emily
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: HEMI3
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Helianthus microcephalus
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-01-23

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: HELIA3
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Helianthus
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Sunflower
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 50 species, herbs, of North America.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Schilling in FNA (2006c); Heiser et al. (1969); Cronquist (1980)=SE; Schilling et al. (1998). Key adapted from FNA, SE, RAB, and Heiser et al. (1969).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect, rhizomatous perennial of dry woodlands, forests, barrens, clearings, and road banks.
STEMS: Stems branched above, dark greenish-purple, often with a whitish coating, and smooth.
LEAVES: Leaves mostly opposite, long-petiolate, lance-shaped, 3-6 in. long, 3-veined, toothed but entire near the base, thin, rough-hairy above, resin-dotted and usually short-hairy beneath.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) numerous on long slender stalks; heads 1-1 1/2 in. wide, consisting of 5-8 yellow ray florets encircling a center disk of darker yellow, tubular florets. Overlapping, green, pointed bracts surround the base of each head.
FRUITS: Fruit a dark brown to blackish achene.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 2-6 1/2 ft. (occasionally taller)

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate, Opposite
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Mixed
BLOOM TIME: Jul-Oct
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
x x x x x

BLOOM COLOR: Yellow
White Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Lavender Purple Violet Brown Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Dry forests, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: This sunflower grows in well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It will form small colonies, so plant it in a place where you have room for it to spread. Attracts pollinators, butterflies and birds.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Bird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id Project Collection date Collector Action
273 HORT 2010-11-24 Liloia View
322 HORT 2008-11-18 Poythress View
2662 NPMD 2023-01-12 Marzolf View
2675 NPMD 2022-09-28 Marzolf View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id acc_num acc_dt coll_id Action
268 2011-0123 2011-06-16 273 View
317 2011-0184 2011-07-12 322 View
5495 1995-0618 View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num acc_id loc_num pers_num inst_dt Action
652 268 15 Heiney 2011-05-17 View
737 317 19 NCBG staff 2011-05-12 View
8009 5495 204 NCBG staff 1993-01-01 View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: HEMI3
USDA Common Name: Small Woodland Sunflower
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: UPL UPL UPL FACU FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Helianthus microcephalus
COMMON NAME: Small-headed Sunflower
SYNONYMY: [= F, FNA, G, Il, K, Pa, RAB, S, Va, W, WH3, WV; < H. microcephalus - C, SE]
PHENOLOGY: Jul-Oct.
HABITAT: Dry woodlands and roadbanks.
COMMENTS: NJ west to MN, south to Panhandle FL and se. LA.
RANGE MAP: Helianthus microcephalus.png

Key to Map Symbols
ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.
ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Helianthus L. (Sunflower)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 50 species, herbs, of North America.
REFERENCE: Schilling in FNA (2006c); Heiser et al. (1969); Cronquist (1980)=SE; Schilling et al. (1998). Key adapted from FNA, SE, RAB, and Heiser et al. (1969).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Helianthus microcephalus in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Helianthus microcephalus in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Helianthus microcephalus in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Helianthus microcephalus in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Helianthus microcephalus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Helianthus microcephalus

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 25892 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 25892 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 25891 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)

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