Helianthus cusickii
Cusick's sunflower
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Helianthus cusickii (Cusick's sunflower) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by geographic restriction to NE California mountains, large rays.
Cusick's sunflower is a California native perennial found in eastern Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, and Modoc Plateau in dry grassy slopes and open woodland at elevations of 1,050 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from May to July, this sunflower produces yellow ray flowers 20 to 40 millimeters long surrounding a yellow disk, with flower heads 12 to 28 millimeters in diameter. Growing 60 to 120 centimeters tall with a stout, fleshy taproot, the plant has glabrous to sparsely long-hairy stems. Its leaves are opposite or alternating toward the stem tip, with lanceolate blades 5 to 15 centimeters long, wedge-shaped at the base and featuring entire margins. The plant produces fruit 4 to 5 millimeters long with small pappus scales.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; geographic restriction to NE California mountains, large rays
Habitat and range
Habitat: dry grassy slopes, open woodland
Elevation: 1050-1300 m
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho, western Nevada
Bloom period
Helianthus cusickii blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Encelia: Helianthus is herbaceous with soft stems; Encelia is a woody shrub with persistent branches.; vs Bahiopsis: Helianthus has soft herbaceous stems; Bahiopsis is woody-based with persistent woody stems.; vs Wyethia: Helianthus has smaller disk flowers and readily falling seed scales; Wyethia has very large 8-12mm disk flowers.; vs Rudbeckia: Helianthus has a flat or rounded yellow center; Rudbeckia has a tall dark cone-shaped center.; vs Venegasia: Helianthus dies back to ground level; Venegasia is a large evergreen shrub in shaded canyons.
Frequently asked questions
Is Helianthus cusickii native to California?
Yes. Helianthus cusickii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Helianthus cusickii bloom?
Helianthus cusickii blooms May-Jul.
What plant family does Helianthus cusickii belong to?
Helianthus cusickii is in the Asteraceae family, genus Helianthus.
What habitat does Helianthus cusickii grow in?
Helianthus cusickii grows in dry grassy slopes, open woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Helianthus gracilentus — Slender sunflower
- Helianthus inexpectatus — Newhall sunflower
- Helianthus niveus subsp. tephrodes — Algodones dunes sunflower
- Helianthus nuttallii — Nuttall's sunflower
- Helianthus nuttallii subsp. nuttallii — Nuttall's sunflower
- Helianthus nuttallii subsp. parishii — Los angeles sunflower
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.