Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)

 

Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)

Western sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis) is a native perennial of Wisconsin’s dry, open habitats—prairies, meadows, and rocky woods—where it thrives in full sun and well-drained soils. Blooming in late summer, it provides nectar and pollen for native bees, butterflies, and beetles at a time when few other wildflowers remain. Its seeds feed goldfinches and other small birds, and its rhizomatous roots help stabilize soil in sunlit, rocky ground. By supporting pollinators and contributing to the late-season food web, this perennial plays a steady role in prairie restoration and native plant communities.

It typically grows two to four feet tall. The bright yellow flower heads measure about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches across, with numerous disk florets forming the central yellow to yellow-brown disk. The heads are surrounded by short, overlapping bracts that are light green and linear-lanceolate. The stems are long, stiff, often reddish, and mostly bare except for a few pairs of small, widely spaced leaves. Most of the foliage forms a basal rosette at the base of the plant, with large, rough, hairy leaves on long stalks. The stem leaves are smaller and lanceolate, about one to three inches long and 1/4 to 3/4 inches wide.

Sources: 

Flora of North America — Helianthus occidentalis

Wisconsin State Herbarium — Helianthus occidentalis

USDA Plants Database — Helianthus occidentalis

Minnesota Wildflowers — Western Sunflower

Illinois Wildflowers — Western Sunflower

(SF)