Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses - Willow-leaf sunflower

WILLOW-LEAF SUNFLOWER

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Helianthus salicifolius A. Dietr.

Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 5-10 feet

Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family

Flowering Period: September,October

Stems:

Erect, simple below, branching in inflorescence, pale greenish white to reddish purple, glabrous, sometimes waxy.

Leaves:

Numerous, mostly alternate, simple, sessile, narrowly linear-lanceolate to linear, 3 to 8 inches long, less than 2/5 inch wide, thin, flat, pale green, drooping; margins entire or shallow-toothed; tips tapered to slender points; lower leaves usually dropping early.

Inflorescences:

Heads, numerous, in open, panicle-like clusters, slender-stalked, 2 to 3 inches wide; bracts linear-lanceolate, loose spreading, some exceeding disk.

Flowers:

Ray florets 10-20, to 1.25 inch long, pale yellow; disk florets reddish purple.

Fruits:

Achenes, slender, less than 1/4 inch long, glabrous, tipped with 2-4 awns, enclosing small seed.

Habitat:

Rocky hills and slopes, roadsides, and waste areas, usually associated with limestone soils.

Distribution:

Principally east 1/3 of Kansas.

Forage Value:

Willow-leaf sunflower is palatable and nutritious for livestock; it will decrease in overgrazed pastures.