Helianthus nuttallii

Nuttall's sunflower

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Nuttall's sunflower is a California native perennial found in low to mid-elevation grasslands and open habitats. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers 15 to 25 millimeters long with yellow disk flowers, forming heads 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter in flat-topped or rounded clusters. Growing 50 to 500 centimeters tall from clustered, tuber-like roots with a short rhizome, it develops erect stems that are either smooth or hairy. Its leaves are predominantly alternate, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, 10 to 20 centimeters long with wedge-shaped bases and pointed tips, sometimes with entire or slightly serrated margins. The fruit is a small achene 3 to 4 millimeters long with short pappus scales.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.