Helianthus giganteus, the giant sunflower or tall sunflower, is a species of Helianthus native to the eastern United States and eastern and central Canada, from Newfoundland west to Alberta south to Minnesota, Mississippi, and South Carolina.[2][3][4]
| Helianthus giganteus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Helianthus |
| Species: | H. giganteus
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| Binomial name | |
| Helianthus giganteus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editHelianthus giganteus is a perennial herbaceous plant hardy to USDA zones 3-9 that can grow up to 1–3 metres (3.3–9.8 ft) tall with instances to 4m (13 feet). The leaves are approximately 1 inch wide by 7 inches long, and partly rough. The flower heads are bright yellow, up to 7 cm (3 in) in diameter. They are most commonly found in valleys with wet meadows or swamps[5][4] and even near river banks.
Characteristics
editThe stalk is purple to red with white hairs on it. The leaves are lancolate and alternate. This perennial sunflower has a fibrous root system and spreads by seed and underground stems called rhizomes. These rhizomes will form a clump 3-6 feet in diameter.[6]
Cultivation and use
editThe Choctaw Indians of the southeastern United States have traditionally cultivated the Helianthus giganteus and made a palatable bread by mixing the ground sunflower seed with that of ground maize.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Helianthus giganteus". The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ "Helianthus giganteus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Helianthus giganteus". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ a b Schilling, Edward E. (2006). "Helianthus giganteus". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 21. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ Wisconsin Plant of the Week: Helianthus giganteus
- ^ Foster, Joe. "Giant Sunflower-Facts, Grow and Care Guide". Growit Buildit.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Romans, B. (1775). A concise natural history of East and West Florida. New York: Printed for the author. p. 84. OCLC 745317190.
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