Helianthus argophyllus
Family: Asteraceae
Plant Description: Annual to 4 m high with white, woolly leaves, 6-30 cm long. Leaves weakly heart-shaped, fuzzy. Flower heads 7-10 cm wide, solitary. Disks brown, rays orange-yellow.
Plant Trivia: The dense, tiny hairs covering the leaves and stem create a layer of air between the plant and the atmosphere that helps reduce evaporation and reflects intense summer sun’s rays.
Field Identification: Easily identified by its white-ish appearance from a distance, its white, woolly body up close, and its typical, large sunflower appearance.
Occurrence: Frequent on deep sands, mostly along the coast and along stream bottoms.
Bloom Period: June – December
Plant Use: Popular food source for lesser goldfinches and other seed-eating birds.
Key to the species Helianthus is found in Plant of the Texas Coastal Bend by Roy L. Leyman, Ruth O’Brien and Tammy White. It is also located n the page “Common Sunflower, Mirasol” in this website.
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