Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Hairy Sunflower - Helianthus hirsutus   Rafinesque
Members of Asteraceae:
Members of Helianthus with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Asterales » Family Asteraceae
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AuthorRafinesque
DistributionSouthern Mountains and southern upper Piedmont. Specimens from Watauga, Beaufort, Jones, Mecklenburg, and Granville counties are misidentified.

PA to MN, south to northern FL and TX.
AbundanceUncommon to infrequent in the southern Mountains; rare in the southwestern Piedmont.
HabitatDry and open pine-deciduous woodlands, edges and openings, rocky slopes, roadside banks, fields. A species of sunny to partly sunny places.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting July-October.
IdentificationPlants typically grow 2-5 (-6) feet tall from long rhizomes, the stems coarsely hairy throughout. Leaves are opposite, short-stalked, lance-shaped to ovate, up to 6 inches long and 3 inches wide, coarsely hairy on both sides (may be scabrous above). Rays and disks are yellow. Together, the long rhizomes (greater than 4 inches) and long hairy stems and leaves should clinch identification. The non-native (in NC) Ashy Sunflower (H. mollis) has soft-hairy leaves.
Taxonomic CommentsNone

Other Common Name(s)Stiff-haired Sunflower, Whiskered Sunflower
State RankS3? [S3]
Global RankG5
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