General Landscape Uses:
Best used in natural settings.
Availability:
Widely available in central Florida. Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida.
Description: Deciduous wildflower spreading to form a dense colony. Leaves 3-10 inches long. Showy, bright yellow flowers 3 inches wide.
Dimensions: Typically 3-8 feet in height.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Eastern United States south to Martin, Glades, and Lee 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, wet flatwoods, disturbed sites.
Soils: Wet to moist, seasonally inundated sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
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.
Flower Color: Yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Summer-fall.
Fruit: Nutlets.
Wildlife and Ecology: Attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. Provides seeds and insects for birds.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), 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 also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page. See a 2019 post on the
Treasure Coast Natives blog on why sunflowers bend.
