Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Prairie Sunflower
Helianthus petiolaris
Aster family (Asteraceae)

Prairie Sunflower is very similar to Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and its seeds can be just as tasty. Prairie Sunflower is a shorter plant with elongated, rather than heart-shaped leaves. The two species grow in very similar habitats and do hybridize. "Helios" is Greek for "sun" and "anthos" for "flower." The was named by Linnaeus in 1753 and famed British/American botanist, professor, and explorer, Thomas Nuttall collected and named this species for science in 1821.


© Max Licher @
http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants

Description

, usually 3' tall. Hairy. leaves mainly , sometimes . Flowerheads solitary or few, about 3" across. Disks are purple/brown. purple. not but white hairy. a hairy .

Field Marks

Tall Sunflower with showy yellow flowers followed by large, edible seeds.

© Al Schneider

petiolate -- a leaf that has a stem. A sessile leaf has no stem.

corolla -- The name for all the petals of a flower taken together.

lobe -- A rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ).

disc flowers are those in the center of a sunflower or daisy. Not a ray flower.

An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seed, within one year, and then dies.

serrate -- toothed with asymmetrical teeth pointing forward; like the cutting edge of a saw.

Bracts are modified leaves associated with a flower.

ciliate -- fringed with hairs

achene -- a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. For example, a rose hip holds a few achenes.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

genus -- A subdivision of a botanical Family in which all members have a significant number of similar characteristics.

alternate -- leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.