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Helianthus
Also called Sunflowers
Helianthus is a genus of about 50 annual and perennial daisy-family plants native to North America, best known through the common sunflower (H. annuus) grown for seed and as an ornamental. Most are tall, sun-loving plants that need full sun and rich, well-drained soil.
Helianthus () is a genus comprising around 50 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. The species of Helianthus are native to North America. The best-known species is the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus). This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are cultivated in temperate regions and some tropical regions, as food crops for humans, cattle, and poultry, and as ornamental plants. The species H. annuus typically grows during the summer and into early fall, with the peak growth season being mid-summer.
Several perennial Helianthus species are grown in gardens, but have a tendency to spread rapidly and can become aggressive. On the other hand, the whorled sunflower, Helianthus verticillatus, was listed as an endangered species in 2014 when the U.S.
Sunflowers have been proven to be excellent plants to attract beneficial insects, including pollinators. Helianthus spp. are a nectar producing flowering plant that attract pollinators and parasitoids which reduce the pest populations in nearby crop vegetation. Sunflowers attract different beneficial pollinators (e.g., honey bees) and other known insect prey to feed on and control the population of parasitic pests that could be harmful to the crops. Predacious insects are first attracted to sunflowers once they are planted. Once the Helianthus spp. reaches six inches and produces flowers it begins to attract more pollinators. Distance between sunflower rows and crop vegetation plays an important role in this phenomenon, hypothesizing that closer proximity to the crops will increase insect attraction.
The seeds of H. annuus are used for human consumption, for example, through sunflower oil, cakes, and meal. Most cultivars of sunflower are variants of H. annuus. However, H. tuberosus, the Jerusalem artichoke, which produces edible tubers is also domesticated.
Common sunflower · Texas blueweed · Sawtooth sunflower · Maximilian sunflower · Paradox sunflower · Jerusalem artichoke
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Helianthus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
