California Sunflower, Helianthus californicus

About California Sunflower (Helianthus californicus) 10 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Helianthus californicus is a species of sunflower known by the common name California sunflower. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in many types of habitat. This wild sunflower is an erect perennial growing from a network of tough, woody roots with small rhizomes. It is a sprawling, gangly plant, sending a thin stem to heights between one and three meters or more. The lance-shaped leaves may be 20 centimeters long and are smooth or slightly toothed along the edges. The flower cluster holds several flower heads. Each head is supported by a base covered in long, pointed phyllaries that bend back as the head ages and develops fruit. The flower head has a fringe of golden yellow ray florets, each two or three centimeters long, and a center filled with curly yellow and brown disc florets. The achene is about half a centimeter long.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb, Annual herb

Size

3.3 - 11 ft tall

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 31 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Painted Lady Vanessa carduiVanessa cardui

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Aglais milbertiAglais milberti

California Patch Chlosyne californicaChlosyne californica

Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica

Armyworm Moth Mythimna unipunctaMythimna unipuncta

Isabella Tiger Moth Pyrrharctia isabellaPyrrharctia isabella

Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Low, Moderate - High

Nurseries

Carried by 10

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow, Standing

Common uses

Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Sunset Zones?

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17*, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry, rocky places, marshes and streambanks

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.6" - 54.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 2.95", Coldest Month: 38.1" - 54.3", Hottest Month: 59.4" - 77.5", Humidity: 1.04" - 25.94", Elevation: 0" - 7432"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

California Sunflower

Helianthus californicus

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California SunflowerHelianthus californicus

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California Sunflower

Helianthus californicus