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Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

Summary 5

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence (flowering head), and its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to capture the sun. The plant has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves, and circular flower heads. The heads consist of many individual flowers which mature into seeds, often in the hundreds, on a receptacle base. From the Americas,...

Derivation of specific name 6

annuus: annual

Comments 7

The Annual Sunflower is thought to be adventive from western United States. However, it was cultivated as a source of food by native Americans, and was likely introduced to Illinois by them prior to European settlement. The cultivated sunflower of modern agriculture is a self-pollinating hybrid of this plant and another annual sunflower that occurs in the Great Plains. Because of its large heart-shaped leaves, it is easy to distinguish the Annual Sunflower from other Helianthus spp. (Sunflowers) that occur in the Midwest. Return

Range and habitat in illinois 8

The Annual Sunflower occurs throughout Illinois; it is especially common in the central and northern areas of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include disturbed areas of mesic to dry prairies, meadows in wooded areas, cultivated and abandoned fields, pastures, areas along railroads and roads, and urban waste areas. Annual Sunflower may occur sporadically as individual plants, or in small to large colonies that persist year after year. This rather weedy wildflower can be controlled by summer wildfires or periodic mowing.

Flower visiting insects of annual sunflower in illinois 9

Helianthus annuus (Annual Sunflower)
(Bees collect pollen or suck nectar; some flies and beetles feed on pollen & are non-pollinating; other insects suck nectar; observations are from Robertson, LaBerge, Moure & Hurd, Hilty, Krombein et al., Mawdsley, Grundel et al., and Williams)

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera sn cp fq (Rb); Apidae (Bombini): Bombus bimaculatus sn (Rb), Bombus griseocallis sn fq (Rb), Bombus impatiens sn cp fq (Rb), Bombus pensylvanica sn cp fq (Rb), Bombus vagans (Rb), Psithyrus variabilis sn (Rb); Anthophoridae (Ceratini): Ceratina calcarata (Gnd), Ceratina dupla dupla sn cp (Rb); Anthophoridae (Epeolini): Triepeolus concavus sn (Rb), Triepeolus helianthi sn (Gnd); Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Melissodes agilis sn cp fq olg (Rb), Melissodes bimaculata bimaculata (LB), Melissodes boltoniae sn cp fq (Rb), Melissodes coloradensis sn (Rb), Melissodes comptoides (LB), Melissodes dentiventris sn (Rb), Melissodes trinodis sn (Rb), Svastra atripes atripes (LB), Svastra obliqua obliqua sn cp fq (Rb); Megachilidae (Anthidiini): Stelis grossa sn (Gnd); Megachilidae (Megachilini): Megachile inimica sayi sn (Rb), Megachile latimanus sn (Rb), Megachile mendica sn cp (Rb)

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Doufoureinae): Dufourea marginatus marginatus cp olg (MH, Kr); Halictidae (Halictinae): Agapostemon texanus texanus (MH), Agapostemon virescens sn fq (Rb), Augochlorella striata sn (Rb), Augochloropsis metallica metallica (MH), Halictus confusus sn (Rb), Halictus ligatus sn cp fq (Rb, Gnd), Halictus rubicundus (MH), Lasioglossum imitatus cp (Rb), Lasioglossum pilosus pilosus cp (Rb), Lasioglossum versatus cp (Rb); Halictidae (Nomiinae): Nomia heteropoda (MH), Nomia triangulifera (MH, Kr), Nomia heteropoda kirbii (MH); Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena accepta sn cp olg (Rb, Kr), Andrena helianthi sn cp olg (Rb, Kr); Andrenidae (Panurginae): Heterosarus helianthi (Kr), Perdita bequaerti fq (Gnd), Perdita swenki (Gnd), Pseudopanurgus rugosus cp olg (Kr); Melittidae: Hesperapis carinata (Gnd)

Flies
Syrphidae: Eristalis brousii sn (Rb), Eristalis transversus sn (Rb), Syritta pipiens fp np (Rb); Bombyliidae: Sparnopolius confusus sn fq (Rb), Villa alternata fp np (Rb)

Butterflies
Nymphalidae: Danaus plexippus sn (Rb, H), Speyeria cybele sn (Rb); Pieridae: Pieris rapae sn (Rb)

Skippers
Hesperiidae: Polites themistocles sn (Rb)

Beetles
Cantharidae: Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus sn (Rb, Wms); Chrysomelidae: Acalymma vittata fp np (Rb), Diabrotica undecimpunctata fp np (Rb); Cleridae: Phyllobaenus pubescens (Mwd)

Plant Bugs
Miridae: Lygus lineolaris (Rb)
Insect activities:
cp = collects pollen
fp = feeds on pollen
fq = frequent flower visitor (about 6 or more visits reported)
np = non-pollinating
olg = oligolege; visits only a few species of flowers
sn = sucks nectar

Scientific observers:
(H) = John Hilty
(LB) = Walter LaBerge
(MH) = Jesus Moure & Paul Hurd, Jr.
(Mwd) = Jonathan R. Mawdsley
(Rb) = Charles Robertson

Comments 10

Helianthus annuus is widely distributed, including weedy, cultivated, and escaped plants. It is the only native North American species to become a major agronomic crop. Despite its considerable variability, attempts have failed to produce a widely adopted infraspecific system of classification. Forms with red-colored ray laminae, known from cultivation and occasionally seen escaped, trace their ancestry to a single original mutant plant. It hybridizes with many of the other annual species.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Matthias Barth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/50811284@N00/3742852254
  2. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://s.yimg.com/pw/images/en-us/photo_unavailable_l.png
  3. (c) 2011 Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=391867&one=T
  4. (c) 2011 Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=391870&one=T
  5. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus
  6. (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/30290488
  7. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29442030
  8. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29442028
  9. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/32898143
  10. (c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/19814495

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(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

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