Helianthus nuttallii

Helianthus nuttallii, or Nuttall's sunflower, is a species of sunflower native to northern, central, and western North America, from Newfoundland west to British Columbia, south to Missouri, New Mexico, and California.

Helianthus nuttallii is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 50–400 cm (20-160 inches) tall. The leaves are opposite on the lower part of the stem, alternate higher up, narrow lanceolate, 8–20 cm (3.2-8.0 inches) long and 6–30 mm wide, with a rough texture. The flowers are yellow, produced in a flowerhead approximately 9 cm (3.6 inches) diameter with 10–20 ray florets and at least 60 disc florets; each stem bears one to a few flowerheads.

Subspecies of Helianthus nuttallii include:

• Helianthus nuttallii subsp. nuttallii - Canada, western United States. is a subspecies of Helianthus nuttallii in the genus Helianthus in the family Asteraceae. H. nuttallii subsp. nuttallii is considered by some to be a synonym for H. nuttallii. However, others argue that it is distinct from the species.
• Helianthus nuttallii subsp. parishii <small>(A.Gray) Heiser</small> - (Los Angeles sunflower). Southern California, endemic. The subspecies is presumed to be extinct since 1937.
• Helianthus nuttallii subsp. rydbergii <small>(Britton) R. Long.</small> - Central Canada, interior northwestern United States

References