Helianthus decapetalus - Woodland Sunflower

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zones 4-9, 60" x 24", part sun to dappled shade, can take quite a bit of sun with consistent moisture, cheerful yellow daisies in late summer to early fall, moist to occasionally dry, too much drought leads to powdery mildew.

Common names: Thinleaf Sunflower, Woodland Sunflower, btw, decapetalus means "with ten petals", however there are actually 8-12 ray florets on any given flower

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: From New Brunswick, Canada west to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ontario and south to Georgia and Louisiana, native to Maine

Habitat: river banks, woodland edges, flood plain forests with open shade, low damp spots, tolerant of occasional drought once established, occasional being the operative word

More: Popular nectar source for numerous insects, including specialist bees. Songbirds and game birds enjoy the seeds. It is a larval host for the Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui, which is a migratory visitor to Maine, as well as the Silvery Checkerspot, Chlosyne nycteis, which occurs in Maine and is a species of special concern, among others. You can pinch back by mid-July to encourage branching, more flowers, and denser growth, but you don't need to. Colony-former if happy, and that's what you need to feed those larvae and birds! Has been used medicinally.

Source: Van Berkum

Image credit: H. Zell via Creative Commons through the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox