Natives For Your Neighborhood
Conservation of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems

General Landscape Uses: Best used in natural settings.

Availability: Rarely grown by native plant nurseries.

Description: Annual wildflower with 1-4 inch long leaves and 2 inch wide yellow flowers atop tall, branched stems.

Dimensions: Stems up to 6 feet in height.

Range: Southern Georgia and scattered in peninsular Florida in Bradford county and from Volusia south to St. Lucie and Collier counties.

 Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.

 Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.

Habitats: Marshes and wet flatwoods.

Soils: Wet to moist, seasonally inundated sandy soils, without humus.

Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.

Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.

Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Flower Color: Yellow.

Flower Characteristics: Showy.

Flowering Season: Fall.

Wildlife and Ecology: Attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. Provides seeds and insects for birds.

References: Hammer (2016), Wunderlin and Hansen 2011

Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page. See a 2019 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on why sunflowers bend.